German painter and draughtsman (1893-1959), a major figure of Berlin Dada and the New Objectivity. His ferocious caricatures denounced the corruption, militarism, and inequality of the Weimar Republic.
George Grosz(1893 — 1959)
George Grosz
États-Unis, Allemagne
7 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born in Berlin in 1893, died in 1959 after his return to Germany
- Co-founder of the Berlin Dada group around 1918-1920
- Leading figure of the New Objectivity movement (Neue Sachlichkeit) in the 1920s
- His satirical works attacked the bourgeoisie, the military, and the Weimar Republic
- Emigrated to the United States in 1933; his works were branded “degenerate art” by the Nazis
Works & Achievements
Manifesto-painting that layers, within a shattered Cubist-style space, the bourgeois, the priest and the soldier — pillars of a corrupt society.
A major work of the New Objectivity denouncing the elites of Weimar: open skulls reveal their thoughts (a military horse, lying newspapers).
A collection of scathing satirical drawings against industrialists, generals and profiteers; one of the high points of political caricature.
An allegorical canvas showing headless politicians led by an industrialist around a beheaded man, denouncing submission to capital.
A portfolio of watercolours and drawings on the decadence of Weimar-era Berlin, which earned him a trial for offending public morals.
A drawing depicting the crucified Christ in boots and a gas mask, which sparked a sensational trial for blasphemy.
A chaotic, glowing-red vision of the great modern city, marked by the influence of Futurism and Expressionism.
Anecdotes
In 1916, in protest against German nationalism and as a provocative show of admiration for the enemy, Georg Groß anglicized his name to “George Grosz.” His friend Helmut Herzfeld did the same, becoming “John Heartfield”: it was a way of mocking the anti-English hysteria that prevailed during the First World War.
In 1920, Grosz was taken to court for “insulting the German army” with his portfolio of drawings titled *Gott mit uns* (God With Us). It would not be his only trial: he was prosecuted three times during the 1920s, notably for blasphemy in 1928 over a drawing showing Christ on the cross wearing a gas mask and military boots.
During the German revolution of November 1918, Grosz joined the brand-new German Communist Party. In 1922, he traveled through Soviet Russia for five months and met Lenin in person, but he returned deeply disillusioned by what he had seen and eventually drifted away from communism.
Sensing the Nazi danger, Grosz left Germany for the United States in January 1933, just a few days before Hitler became chancellor. The Nazis declared him the State's “number one enemy”; his works were seized and displayed as “degenerate art” (*entartete Kunst*) in 1937.
In 1959, Grosz moved back to Berlin after 26 years of American exile. A few weeks later, after a night of heavy drinking, he fell down the stairs of his apartment building and died. He had written, with irony, that he wanted to die in Berlin.
Primary Sources
I drew and painted out of a spirit of contradiction, and through my work I tried to convince the world that it was ugly, sick, and hypocritical.
A collection of 57 satirical drawings denouncing the industrialists, military officers, and bourgeois of the Weimar Republic, published by Malik-Verlag.
My drawings expressed my despair, my hatred, and my disillusionment. I drew the drunkards, the men vomiting, the men cursing the moon with raised fists.
The defendant Grosz is prosecuted for having depicted the crucified Christ wearing a gas mask and military boots, captioned “Maul halten und weiter dienen” (Shut your mouth and keep on serving).
Key Places
Grosz's birthplace and the stage for all his satirical work on the Weimar Republic. He returned there to die in 1959.
Grosz studied drawing here from 1909 to 1911. This is where he honed his craft as a draftsman.
Grosz stayed here in 1922 and met Lenin. This trip marked the beginning of his political disillusionment.
Grosz's place of exile from 1933 onward, where he taught at the Art Students League. His painting grew darker and more allegorical here.
In 1937, the Nazis exhibited works by Grosz here to ridicule them as “degenerate art.” Many were later sold or destroyed.
