Curt Valentin Gallery, New York
Catherine Viviano Gallery, New York
Stanley J. Seeger, New York (acquired from the above in March 1956; sold: Sotheby's, New York, The Eye of a Collector - Works from the Collection of Stanley J. Seeger, 8th May 2001, lot 29)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Princeton, The Art Museum, Princeton University, The Stanley J. Seeger, Jr. Collection, 1961, no. 31
New York, Catherine Viviano Gallery, Max Beckmann, 1969
Bielefeld, Kunsthalle, Max Beckmann, 1977
Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou; New York, Museum of Modern Art & London, Tate Modern, Max Beckmann, un peintre dans l'histoire, 2002-2003, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Frankfurt, Städel Museum, Beckmann & America, 2011-12, no.101, illustrated in the catalogue

Erhard & Barbara Göpel, Max Beckmann, Katalog der Gemälde, Bern, 1976, vol. I, illustrated p. 591

Executed on cream laid paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount in the top two corners, floating in the mount. The lower and left edges are slightly uneven. There are small paper losses to the lower and upper left edges and towards the upper right edge. There is a 0.5cm tear towards the centre of the right edge and an area of discolouration running diagonally across the upper right corner. There are some minor flattened creases, mainly to the right edge, some small specks of foxing to the upper right quadrant and some slight undulation to the sheet. Apart from some light discolouration to the extreme edges of the sheet, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though the paper tone is less yellow in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Last Duty of Perseus is a wonderfully complete preparatory ink drawing for Beckmann's seminal work, Perseus' (Hercules') letzte Aufgabe, painted in 1949 (fig. 1). Depictions of the mythological Greek hero Perseus have long been a subject explored in Western art, with particular emphasis placed on the ancient warrior's status as a demi-god living amongst mortals. Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danaë, the object of King Polydectes of Seriphos' amorous attention. Because he was extremely jealous of Danaë's son, Polydectes sent him on the treacherous mission ofꦏ retrieving the head of Medusa, the deadly Gorgon monster who had the power of turning men into stone if they gazed directly into her eyes. Foiling the king's plan, the young Perseus received the divine assistance of Hades and Athena and successfully accomplished this task. Hades, the messenger of the gods, entrusted Perseus with a magical helmet that would make him invisible and an adamantine sickle to slay the wretched monster. In order to avoid looking directly at his deadly target and subsequently be turned into stone, the goddess Athena gave Perseus a highly polished shield in which he could safely see Medusa's reflection. Upon accomplishing his duty, Perseus placed Medusa's head in a magical wallet and eventually returned to Seriphos where he uncloaked the fatal talisman and turned the evil King Polydectes into stone.

In the present work Beckmann has drawn the male figure, Perseus, in the act of beheading the Gorgon Medusa. Wearing Hades' helmet, the magical wallet and brandishing the fatal sword. Interestingly, Beckmann depicts Medusa and herꦗ Gorgon guardians not as vile, snake-haired monsters but as young women, vulnerable to the weapon which Perseus lords over them. As if to critique the violence of the scene, the artist's positioning of the figures reassigns the heroic qualities associated with each mythical character. Perseus, with his back turned to the viewer, stands as a looming figure in a pool of blood with Beckmann instead placing Medusa in the centre of the composition, her body swelling with fecundity and illuminated like that of a martyr. The intense drama of this drawing is further emphasized by the projection of the sword's tip to the extreme left and beyond the picture plane. Here, the artist suggests the sword's penetration into the viewer's space as Perseus anticipates swinging the weapon above his head. By adeptly engaging our sense of proximity to the drawing, Beckmann convincingly communicates the danger and anxiety of the subject at hand.

Fig. 1, Max Beckmann, Perseus' (Hercules') letzte Aufgabe, 1949, oil on canvas, Private Collection