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New Objectivity: Modern German Art in the Weimar Republic 1919-1933
This beautifully illustrated book brings together a dazzling variety of works and provides fresh insight into artistic expressions of life in the Weimar Republic. Between the end of World War I and the Nazi rise to power, Germany’s Weimar Republic (1919-1933) was a thriving laboratory of art and culture. As the country experienced unprecedented and often tumultuous social, economic, and political upheaval, many artists rejected Expressionism in favor of a new realism to capture this emerging society. Dubbed Neue Sachlichkeit―New Objectivity―its adherents turned a cold eye on the new Germany: its desperate prostitutes and crippled war veterans, its alienated urban landscapes, its decadent underworld where anything was available for a price. Showcasing 150 works by more than 50 artists, this book reflects the full diversity and strategies of New Objectivity. Organized around five thematic sections, it mixes photography, works on paper, and painting to bring them into a visual dialogue. Artists such as Otto Dix, George Grosz, and Max Beckmann are included alongside Christian Schad, Alexander Kanoldt, Georg Schrimpf, August Sander, Lotte Jacobi, and Aenne Biermann. Also included are essays that examine the politics of New Objectivity and its legacy; its relation to international art movements of the time; the context of gender roles and sexuality; and the influence of new technology and consumer goods.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published March 27, 2015
60 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Barron
30 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Stephanie Barron is chief curator of modern and contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. During her thirty-two years at LACMA, she has been responsible for several international loan exhibitions, including “The Avant-Garde in Russia: 1910-1930,” “German Expressionist Sculpture,” “David Hockney: A Retrospective,” “German Expressionism 1915-1925: The Second Generation,” “Exiles and Émigrés: The Flight of European Artists from Hitler,” and "Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures". She co-organized LACMA’s millennium project, “Made in California: Art, Image, and Identity, 1900-2000.” Barron has received the Order of Merit First Class and the Commander’s Cross from the German government, the John J. McCloy Fellowship, and an NEA Fellowship for museum professionals. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Stephanie Barron is chief curator of modern and contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. During her thirty-two years at LACMA, she has been responsible for several international loan exhibitions, including “The Avant-Garde in Russia: 1910-1930,” “German Expressionist Sculpture,” “David Hockney: A Retrospective,” “German Expressionism 1915-1925: The Second Generation,” “Exiles and Émigrés: The Flight of European Artists from Hitler,” and "Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures". She co-organized LACMA’s millennium project, “Made in California: Art, Image, and Identity, 1900-2000.” Barron has received the Order of Merit First Class and the Commander’s Cross from the German government, the John J. McCloy Fellowship, and an NEA Fellowship for museum professionals. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 2, 2022
A solid and interesting collection of essays on an art movement, with good quality and variety of plates.
Not much that was ground-breaking for me personally, but I've read several recent books on this art period. And I did learn a couple things, for instance that there was a cacti-collecting fad in Germany.
Also, I had not known how extremely limited civilian access to radio equipment was in Germany, versus it widespread dissemination in the US.
Interesting discussion of what "realism" means in art terms. It's not necessarily about visual fidelity to nature; it can also include efforts to realistically address social or political issues of the time.
Not much that was ground-breaking for me personally, but I've read several recent books on this art period. And I did learn a couple things, for instance that there was a cacti-collecting fad in Germany.
Also, I had not known how extremely limited civilian access to radio equipment was in Germany, versus it widespread dissemination in the US.
Interesting discussion of what "realism" means in art terms. It's not necessarily about visual fidelity to nature; it can also include efforts to realistically address social or political issues of the time.
Displaying 1 of 1 review