Hermann Max Pechstein (1881-1955) was a German painter and graphic artist and, as a member of the artist group "Die Brücke" (The Bridge), was one of the early Expressionists.

Born on December 31, 1881, in Eckersbach (a suburb of Zwickau in Saxony, Germany), Pechstein went through the required schooling and in 1896 began a four year apprenticeship with a decoration (house) painter. Having passed his examination, he began his studies at the School for Applied Arts in Dresden. After two years he entered the Academy of Fine Arts, where only one year later he became a "master-student" of Professor Otto Gussmann, who also assisted him in obtaining his first commissions. Wall paintings and designs for stained-glass windows and mosaics were successfully completed even before he graduated in 1906 with the Saxon State Prize.

In the year of his graduation he painted a number of ceilings and an altarpiece for the...