Max Band/Maksas (Mordechajus Bandas, 1900-1974)
A world-famous Jew, Mordechay (Max) Band, grew up in Marijampolė and later taught art in Marijampolė Jewish gymnasium. He even named one of his canvases „The Outskirts of Marijampolė“. His paintings can be found not only in Lithuanian Art Museum or National M.K.Čiurlionis Museum but also in the world-famous museums in the USA, France, Luxembourg, Germany and private collections.
Max was born not in Marijampolė, but in Naumiestis (now – Kudirkos Naumiestis) in the traditional religious Jewish family. However, he became an orphan in his early childhood – his father died when the boy was three and at the age of five his mother passed away. His aunt took Max and his sister to Marijampolė and he grew up here. When the WWI started, the family had difficult times, so Max, who was fourteen and could draw nicely, started to earn money by drawing signboards to Jewish shops. Max Mayer, the headmaster of Jewish gymnasium in Marijampolė, noticed the boy‘s talent and invited him to work as an art teacher in the gymnasium. He also put a lot of effort to open more opportunities for him to study and seek mastership. At the age of twenty Max left for Berlin to study and after several years – to Paris. Here he met a number of Parisian artists, developed as an artist, his works at that time depicted exceptionally provincial look at the world, traditional episodes of Jewish life, melancholy and everyday life details. The artist created the minimalistic and elegant form of French expressionism with little sparkles of impressionism. As the critics of his works say, while in Paris Brand became „more Jewish“ and though „he became Parisian he still stayed a person from Marijampolė“. (N. Frank, 1939, Apžvalga , no. 24 p. 7). He worked under the pseudonym Max Band and gained acknowledgement in his early years.
The journalists of interwar Marijampolė newspaper „Suvalkietis“ wrote about his international success more than once. They pointed out, that international press wrote about him and always mentioned Lithuania, however, people in Lithuania did not know him as well as in Berlin or Paris. A journalist from „Suvalkietis“ visited Max in his studio in Marijampolė and he joked about his young age and popularity: „There were times when I had to leave my own exhibition when a certain grey-haired artist appeared and in Paris they told me to powder my hair, as dark hair does not harmonize with my works“. (1932, Suvalkietis, No. 29 (July 17), p.3.
What is more, Band painted the portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the USA, during his visit to the USA, in 1933. When the WWII started, he emigrated to the USA together with his family in 1940, settled in Florida and lived there until his death. In 2018 the exhibition of his works was held in the former synagogue in Butlerienė Street.