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.
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.