Lot Essay
Grosz displayed an early gift of caricature; he was only sixteen when he sold his first cartoon to Ulk, a supplement to the major daily newspaper Berliner Tageblatt. As a young man he enjoyed the cartoons of Wilhelm Busch, the "grandfather" of the modern comic strip.
In 1913, Grosz made his first trip to Paris, where he met Jules Pascin. Grosz's early linear style owes much to the Romanian-born painter, and like Pascin, he was also drawn to a wide variety of subjects from contemporary life and manners, quickly developing a mordant and satirical bent which characterized his work for the remainder of his career. Grosz also admired the dark, visionary illustrations of the Viennese artist Alfred Kubin.
In 1913, Grosz made his first trip to Paris, where he met Jules Pascin. Grosz's early linear style owes much to the Romanian-born painter, and like Pascin, he was also drawn to a wide variety of subjects from contemporary life and manners, quickly developing a mordant and satirical bent which characterized his work for the remainder of his career. Grosz also admired the dark, visionary illustrations of the Viennese artist Alfred Kubin.