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Collections

George Grosz
Background1928

Not on view
Loose black ink drawing on white paper, caricature of a heavyset man in military uniform and peaked cap, shown from the hips up in three-quarter profile, with a German inscription below
Pen and ink satirical drawing of four caricatured figures standing in a row: a stout military officer with medals, a gaunt figure in ornate robes, a helmeted officer with spiked Pickelhaube, and a clergyman holding an open book with a cross above his head. German script caption at lower left reads "seid untertan der Obrigkeit."
Ink drawing, satirical illustration with loose linework. A seated figure with a gramophone horn for a head cranks the device while coins pour out; an oversized hand reaches from upper right. At left, an upright figure salutes. German text in German script reads "Hurra! Hurra!!" with additional lines. Caption reads "Volkes Stimme" at lower left.
Ink drawing in black on white, a tree-like form with sweeping calligraphic branches from which small schematic human figures hang or stand suspended; tufts of grass along the bottom edge; German script in lower left reads "Der Lebensbaum" and numeral 4 at lower right.
Pen and ink drawing, four caricature heads of a heavyset man arranged in a grid, each depicting exaggerated frowning features with heavy jowls and thick eyebrows, progressing from loose sketch to more detailed rendering; German script inscription at lower left reads "Ich liebe Dich!"
Pen and ink drawing of six standing figures in a row, rendered in loose caricature style with exaggerated body proportions. A line of German cursive script appears at lower left, with the numeral 6 at lower right.
Ink drawing, satirical caricature of an emaciated nude figure restrained by multiple figures on either side, one holding a large syringe; exaggerated facial features and bold linework; German script caption below reads 'in drei Tagen sind sie felddienstfähig!'
Pen and ink illustration with two scenes: left, a uniformed soldier with rifle watches two figures in confrontation; right, a top-hatted official with a baton stands over a fallen figure. German script caption at lower left reads "ein bisschen gut zureden."
Ink drawing, caricatured figure in clerical robes gesturing from a pulpit, with rifles and weapons radiating outward; a crowd of distorted figures reacts below; German script caption at bottom; page number 9 at lower right.
Ink drawing of a crucifixion figure wearing a gas mask and halo, bound to a cross with an INRI placard, holding a small cross in one raised hand; a handwritten German inscription appears at lower left.
Ink drawing of two figures: at right, a man in a top hat and coat holds a camera and carries an umbrella; at left, a robed figure stands before a gallows. German text in cursive script at lower left reads "Bitte recht freundlich."
Charcoal or lithograph drawing of a skeletal figure in a military cap holding a rifle, rendered with loose, gestural lines on white ground; a line of German handwritten text appears at the bottom.
Ink drawing of two figures in military dress facing each other, one reclining and gesturing with a raised hand, the other leaning forward; a rifle or bayonet extends between them; German cursive inscription at lower left reads "Mit Herz und Hand fürs Vaterland," numbered 73 at lower right; loose, sketchy linework
Black ink drawing of a skeleton in a military cap and backpack labeled "GAS," striding across a barren landscape while wielding a weapon. German handwritten text runs along the bottom margin.
Pen and ink caricature drawing of a grimacing male figure entangled in and struggling against a large question mark, with smaller question marks scattered below; handwritten text at lower left margin and number 15 at lower right.
Ink drawing of a large pile of human skulls and skeletal remains filling the lower portion of the composition, flanked by dark shadowed forms, with a dripping question mark floating above in the center. Rendered in bold black ink with cross-hatching and expressive linework. Handwritten text and the number 16 appear in the lower corners.
Black and white ink illustration featuring a large section sign (§) topped by a radiating crown, looming over a prone skeletal or emaciated human figure in boots. German cursive text at bottom reads 'Wir sind zum Gehorchen geboren!'
Artist or Maker
George Grosz
Germany, also active United States, 1893-1959
Publisher
Der Malik Verlag
Germany, Berlin, 1917-
Title
Background
Place Made
Germany
Date Made
1928
Medium
Seventeen rotogravures on laid paper
Dimensions
See individual images
Credit Line
The Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies, purchased with funds provided by Anna Bing Arnold, Museum Associates Acquisition Fund, and deaccession funds
Accession Number
83.1.79a-q
Classification
Prints
Collecting Area
Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies
Selected Bibliography

  • 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.

  • Dückers, Alexander. George Grosz: das druckgraphische Werk/Alexander Dückers. Frankfurt am Main; Berlin; Wien: Propyläen-Verlag, 1979.
Copyright
© Estate of George Grosz / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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