Born: 3 January 1887 · Died: 26 September 1914 · Age at death: 27
How old was August Macke when he died?
August Macke died aged 27. He was born on 3 January 1887 and died on 26 September 1914.
German Expressionist painter of the Blue Rider group, celebrated for vivid colour and his Tunisian watercolours made with Paul Klee
Did you know?His artistic career was tragically short, as he was killed in action during the opening weeks of the First World War.
Quick facts
Date of birth3 January 1887
Date of death26 September 1914
Age at death27
NationalityGerman
BirthplaceMeschede, Germany
Occupationpainter, draftsperson, sculptor
Editor's Take:
August Macke packed a whole career of joyful colour into barely a decade. He grew up in Bonn and studied in Düsseldorf before seeing the French Impressionists and Fauves in Paris. Their bright palettes transformed his work. He became a key member of the Blue Rider group in Munich alongside Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky. Unlike his friends, he was less interested in mystical theory than in everyday scenes of people strolling, shopping and relaxing in parks. In April 1914 he travelled to Tunisia with Paul Klee and painted luminous watercolours there. Weeks after the First World War began, he was killed in action in Champagne, aged 27.
Key Milestones
1907: Visits Paris and discovers Impressionism
1911: Joins the Blue Rider circle in Munich
1914: Travels to Tunisia with Paul Klee
1914: Killed in action in Champagne, France
August Robert Ludwig Macke (3 January 1887 – 26 September 1914) was a German Expressionist painter. He was one of the leading members of the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider).
