George Grosz (1893-1959)

Republikanischer Bahnhof (The Republican Railway Station)

Details
George Grosz (1893-1959)
Republikanischer Bahnhof (The Republican Railway Station)
signed 'Grosz' (lower right), and signed again with pseudonym and dated 'Bff 19' (lower left)
pen and India ink over pencil on paper
Image size: 17.7/8 x 13 in. (45.5 x 35 cm.)
Sheet size: 22 x 15 in. (56 x 38 cm.)
Drawn in 1919
Provenance
Peter Deitsch, New York
Exhibited
Berlin, Akademie der Knste, and Dortmund, Municipal Museum, George Grosz 1893-1959, 1962-1963, p. 104, no. 188 (illustrated, p. 58).
York, City Art Gallery; London, Arts Council Gallery; and Bristol, City Art Gallery, George Grosz 1893-1959, April-July 1963, p. 22, no. 95.

Lot Essay

Peter Grosz has confirmed the authenticity of this drawing.

The year following the defeat of Germany in World War I was rife with political turmoil as left- and right-wing parties contended to fill the power void left by the departure of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The moderate Social Democratic Party held sway, and formed a provisional government in November, 1918.

The Berlin Dada movement flourished in this pandemonium. Published by Wieland Herzefelde's Malik Verlag, Grosz's satiric drawings had been appearing since 1917, and effectively capture the events of the period. The present work is fully characteristic of Grosz's Hogarth-like political wit, set in a cubo-futurist pictorial style. As the outgoing cabinet of ministers departs, another enters, but it is clear that no real change has occurred, as the military looks on. In this drawing Grosz uses his familiar elevated point-of-view, creating a deep stage for his political narrative. The drawing was first signed "Bff", an alias which Grosz adopted for a short period. As a Communist and revolutionary sympathizer, Grosz was often on the run from the authorities; in 1919 he and his publisher were tried and fined for criticizing the state.