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Collections

Otto Dix
The War1924

Not on view
Etching or drypoint print with dense black ink on cream paper, showing a chaotic dark scene with a glowing skull-like sphere and tangled figures and diagonal lines
Etching with dense, agitated linework depicting a battlefield landscape; two skeletal figures emerge from tangled debris in the foreground, with a hilly terrain receding into the background. Numbered 15/70 in pencil below.
Etching with dense crosshatching: two uniformed soldiers with Red Cross insignia stand at left, facing a mass of fallen bodies piled on the ground at right, rendered in fine intaglio line work on cream paper; numbered 15/40 at lower left.
Intaglio print, rocky coastal landscape in stark black and white; jagged, textured rocks and churning water fill the lower half against a solid black sky, with fine crosshatched linework. Numbered 15/70 in pencil below.
Etching of a fallen animal carcass with limbs extended upward, rendered in energetic black crosshatching against a white ground, with edition number and signature in pencil below.
Intaglio print, numbered 19/20, depicting a figure lying among dark, turbulent forms, rendered in dense aquatint and etching with stark contrasts between deep blacks and white highlights.
Etching of a devastated landscape with churned earth, tangled debris, and bare splintered tree trunks in the foreground, opening to a flat horizon with distant ruins; fine crosshatched linework throughout. Edition number and signature visible in pencil below the plate.
Etching with dense cross-hatching depicting two figures huddled beneath a makeshift shelter or tent, with a prone figure in the foreground. A small sign reading "Railais" hangs above. Numbered 15/70 and marked VII in pencil below.
Etching with dense black ink, depicting a dark, fragmented landscape of massive irregular forms with textured, eroded surfaces. Bare branching lines rise at upper left, while shadowed shapes crowd the composition. A pale vertical form at center provides contrast. Edition number and signature visible in pencil at lower margin.
Intaglio print, bust-length portrait of a figure with disheveled hair, wide staring eyes, and open mouth revealing teeth, rendered in agitated fine lines. Numbered 15/90 and inscribed with Roman numeral X at bottom.
Etching of a densely tangled woodland landscape with fallen and broken trees, a slender sapling with small leaves rising at center, rendered in fine cross-hatched and scratched lines; numbered 15/70 and signed in pencil below.
Etching with aquatint depicting three soldiers in steel helmets and gas masks advancing across a ravaged landscape, rendered in dark tones with dense crosshatching; barbed wire and blasted trees visible in background; numbered and signed in pencil.
Black and white intaglio print, numbered 15/20, depicting a bearded figure in fur clothing seated at left beside a large animal skeleton at right, with scattered bones and a dark mountainous background; dense cross-hatched linework with aquatint wash.
Etching with dense crosshatching; a group of heavily bundled soldiers huddled together against a dark, nearly black background, with one helmeted figure prominent in the foreground. Edition number and Roman numeral IV inscribed at bottom.
Intaglio print with dense, textured composition of fragmented organic and skeletal forms in deep black and gray tones, with fine etched lines and aquatint tonal areas suggesting a tangled ground-level scene.
Intaglio print depicting a decomposed human figure in military dress, skull-like face and skeletal hand visible, surrounded by draped fabric and bare branches, rendered in dense cross-hatching with stark black and white contrast.
Intaglio print with dense black ground and white hatched lines depicting a chaotic scene of an overturned wagon wheel, shattered tree stumps, rubble, and scattered debris; a skull visible at lower right; numbered 15/70 and marked VII in pencil below.
Intaglio print, numbered 15/40, with chaotic composition of multiple human figures in violent motion against a dark background, interspersed with diagonal lines suggesting weapons or debris; expressive, heavily worked black and white tones with dense cross-hatching.
Etching landscape in dark, dense crosshatching; shadowed foreground vegetation gives way to a distant settlement glowing faintly in the middle ground, beneath a heavily worked sky. Edition number 13/70 inscribed in pencil at lower left.
Pen and ink drawing of a dense column of soldiers in military uniforms and helmets marching together, carrying rifles and walking sticks, rendered with fine hatched linework on a white background.
Black and white print with expressive, gestural marks depicting fragmented figures and abstract forms against a dark background; a winged skeletal shape dominates the upper center, with contorted human figures and dense cross-hatching throughout.
Intaglio print in dark gray tones depicting a reclining nude figure, rendered with gestural etched lines and aquatint wash, one arm raised, with mottled white highlights throughout; numbered 15/70 in pencil below.
Etching of an arid landscape with jagged rock formations in the foreground, sparse grasses and small flowering plants among the rocks, and a wide valley with low mountain ridges receding to the horizon under a pale sky. Fine cross-hatched linework throughout. Edition number "15/40" and roman numeral "IV" inscribed below.
Intaglio print depicting a dense, fragmented cityscape in deep blacks and grays, with jagged architectural forms and human figures amid rubble, rendered in dense cross-hatched and gestural etched lines. Edition number and signature visible in lower margin.
Etching, close-up portrait of a man with severely disfigured face and hands, rendered in dense crosshatching with dark aquatint tones; numbered 15/20 and signed in pencil below the plate.
Intaglio print, numbered 15/40, depicting numerous prone human figures scattered across a dark, undulating landscape beneath a pale horizon and solid black sky, rendered with dense aquatint tones and fine etched lines.
Intaglio print with dense, agitated line work depicting a wounded or ill figure slumped in the foreground, head tilted back, with two seated figures behind; numbered 15/40 in pencil at lower left.
Intaglio print in black and white depicting several human figures lying horizontally, clustered together, surrounded by dense splattered and gestural marks with heavily worked etched textures.
Etching with dense crosshatching; a cluster of figures rendered in stark black and white emerge from a dark background, with energetic, agitated linework creating a turbulent, chaotic scene. Edition number and signature visible in pencil below the plate.
Etching of a large human skull in three-quarter view, overrun with worms or serpentine forms emerging from the eye socket, nasal cavity, and jaw. Tangled root-like growths crown the top. Dense crosshatching creates strong tonal contrast. Numbered 15/40 in pencil at lower left.
Etching or aquatint in black and white depicting three figures in a dimly lit interior; two central figures clutch each other while a third reaches toward them from the right; a small round café table with a decanter and glasses stands at lower left; energetic, heavily worked marks fill the shadowy background.
Etching of a bombed city street in steep perspective, with a low-flying biplane overhead and damaged buildings on either side. Fallen figures lie in the middle distance, while close-cropped faces of civilians appear in both lower corners, rendered in agitated, expressive linework. Edition number and signature visible at bottom.
Etching in dark tones depicting several exaggerated female figures in elaborate hats and feathers displayed on a raised platform or doorway, while a smaller male figure in worker's clothing stands at left observing them; dense cross-hatching and expressive linework throughout.
Ink drawing with energetic, scratchy linework depicting a standing figure with wild, disheveled hair and an exaggerated grinning expression, partially draped, with a small prostrate figure at her feet and a ghostly face sketched at left.
Etching with aquatint of two figures seated close together; one seen from behind in a jacket, the other facing forward in elaborate costume with feathered headdress and floral decorations, rendered in fine expressive line work against a dark background. Edition number and signature in pencil below.
Etching with fine crosshatching depicting a chaotic tavern interior; several stocky figures brawl and embrace at center, one figure lies prone on wooden floorboards in the foreground, another raises a bottle at left, and a cook gestures wildly near shelved bottles at right.
Intaglio print with dense, expressive mark-making in black and white; a bearded face in profile emerges from swirling, heavily worked forms suggesting figures and foliage, with deep velvety blacks and energetic scratched lines throughout.
Black and white intaglio print depicting multiple human figures in collapse or distress amid crumbling brick walls and broken timber, rendered with dense cross-hatching and stark contrast between ink and paper.
Intaglio print, close-up portrait of a man's face with heavily distorted and scarred features, one visible eye, wearing a striped garment, against a grey background with a curved metal bar; dense cross-hatching and aquatint tonal areas; numbered 15/40 in pencil below.
Etching depicting multiple helmeted soldiers in full gear struggling across a chaotic, rubble-strewn battlefield, rendered in dense crosshatching with bold black lines; disembodied faces visible among the churned ground below.
Etching with aquatint, close-up of a heavily distorted human face resting horizontally, rendered in dense crosshatched lines against a dark background, numbered 15/30 in pencil below.
Intaglio print depicting a devastated battlefield landscape with broken fencing, debris, and skeletal remains in the foreground; two helmeted soldiers crouch at lower center and right amid rubble, while a radiant sun with sharp linear rays dominates the middle distance; expressive cross-hatched linework throughout.
Intaglio print with dense cross-hatching; two figures in violent motion against a near-black background, one helmeted with arms outstretched, rendered in stark white against deep shadow.
Etching with dense cross-hatching in deep blacks; three distorted figures gathered around a table with playing cards, one figure open-mouthed at center, another standing at left; shadowy faces visible in the dark upper background.
Etching with aquatint, numbered 15/30, depicting a dense mass of uniformed soldiers with rifles lying along a rocky diagonal ridge, rendered in dark tones with expressive cross-hatched linework.
Etching in dark gray tones; two soldiers in steel helmets and greatcoats carry a wounded figure in a slung stretcher through muddy, rain-streaked terrain with blasted tree stumps in the background; numbered edition notation and signature visible in the margins.
Intaglio print in black and gray tones depicting a chaotic scene of armed figures on the left aiming rifles toward a crowd of fallen and huddled figures on the right, with loose, expressive linework and a pale circular form in the upper right background.
Black and white print, a uniformed figure with a cap stands at left facing a line of six roughly dressed men, rendered with bold ink outlines and tonal washes on a pale ground.
Intaglio print in black and gray depicting two grotesque heads in close proximity, rendered with aggressive, scratched linework; both figures have exaggerated open mouths and hollow eyes; small oval cartouche with handwritten text at lower right.
Artist or Maker
Otto Dix
Germany, 1891-1969
Publisher
Karl Nierendorf
Germany, also active United States, 1889-1947
Printer
Otto Felsing Druckerei
Germany, Berlin, 1854-1920
Title
The War
Place Made
Germany
Date Made
1924
Medium
Fifty intaglio prints on paper
Dimensions
Plate and sheet sizes vary. See individual entries.
Credit Line
The Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies
Accession Number
M.82.288.51a-.55j
Classification
Prints
Collecting Area
Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies
Selected Bibliography
  • Karsch, Florian. Otto Dix: das graphische Werk. Hrsg. von Florian Karsch. Eingeleitet von Hans Kinkel. Hannover: Schmidt-Küster, c. 1970

  • Davis, Bruce. German Expressionist Prints and Drawings: The Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1989; Munich, Germany: Prestel, 1989.

  • McGreevy, Linda F. Bitter Witness: Otto Dix and the Great War. New York: Peter Lang, Inc., 2001.

  • Barron, Stephanie et al. Degenerate Art: The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991.

  • Barron, Stephanie et al., German Expressionism 1915-1925: The Second Generation. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1988.