The "German-Italian" Max Peiffer Watenphul became well-known after World War II as a renovator of landscape- and still life painting, he attained a convincing continuation of the German image of Italy, a tradition that had been around ever since the days of Goethe.
Max Peiffer Watenphul, who earned a doctorate in law in 1918, had discovered his artistic talents during his studies, in 1919 the young jurist went to the Bauhaus. In the 1930s he went to Italy, where he would soon settle for good. Max Peiffer Watenphul was active as painter, graphic artist and photographer, in his oeuvre he was occupied with landscapes, still lifes and figures. While works from his early period were dominated by tendencies of New Objectivity, his more mature style emanated a more melancholic and intimate atmosphere and a sophisticated and gentle coloring.
Numerous exhibitions honor the work of Max Peiffer Watenphul, the most recent ones in Salzburg in 2004, in Essen in 2005 and in München in 2007.