New Objectivity: Modern German Art in the Weimar Republic, 1919–1933

LACMA presents New Objectivity: Modern German Art in the Weimar Republic, 1919–1933, the first comprehensive show in the United States to explore the themes that characterize the dominant artistic trends of the Weimar Republic. Organized in association with the Museo Correr in Venice, Italy, this exhibition features nearly 200 paintings, photographs, drawings, and prints by more than 50 artists, many of whom are little known in the United States. Key figures—Otto Dix, George Grosz, Christian Schad, August Sander, and Max Beckmann—whose heterogeneous careers are essential to understanding 20th century German modernism, are presented together with lesser known artists, including Herbert Ploberger, Hans Finsler, Georg Schrimpf, Heinrich Maria Davringhausen, Carl Grossberg, and Aenne Biermann, among others. Special attention is devoted to the juxtaposition of painting and photography, offering the rare opportunity to examine both the similarities and differences between the movement’s diverse media.

Image credits:

Max Beckmann, Dance in Baden-Baden (Tanz in Baden-Baden) (detail), 1923, Oil on canvas; 42 1/2 × 26 in. (108 × 66 cm), Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich, Pinakothek der Moderne, © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, photo: bpk, Berlin/Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen/Art Resource, NY

Max Beckmann, Self-Portrait in Tuxedo (Selbstbildnis im Smoking) (detail) , 1927, Oil on canvas; 54 15/16 × 37 5/8 in (139.5 × 95.5 cm), Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Association Fund, © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Otto Dix, To Beauty (An die Schönheit) (detail), 1922, Oil and collage on canvas; 54 15/16 × 47 7/16 in. (139.5 × 120.5 cm), Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal, Germany, © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, photo courtesy Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal

Carl Grossberg, The Paper Machine (Die Papiermaschine) (detail), 1934, Oil on wood; 35 7/16 × 45 11/16 in. (90 × 116 cm), Private collection, Photo by Benjamin Hasenclever, Munich