“Tate Liverpool presents the faces of Germany between the two World Wars seen through the eyes of painter Otto Dix (1891–1969) and photographer August Sander (1876–1964). Portraying a Nation: Germany 1919–1933 brings together two artists whose works document the glamour and misery of the Weimar Republic, a time of radical extremes and political and economic upheaval.
Portraying a Nation, which exhibits Dix and Sander as a pair for the first time, reflects a pivotal point in Germany’s history, as it introduced democratic rule in the aftermath of the First World War. The period was one of experimentation and innovation across the visual arts, during which both artists were concerned with representing the extremes of society, from the flourishing cabaret culture to intense poverty and civilian rebellions.
Featuring more than 300 paintings, drawings, prints and photographs, Portraying a Nation unites two complementary exhibitions. Otto Dix: The Evil Eye explores Dix’s harshly realistic depictions of German society and the brutality of war, while ARTIST ROOMS: August Sander presents photographs from Sander’s best known series People of the Twentieth Century, from the ARTIST ROOMS collection of international modern and contemporary art.” — Tate Liverpool
Otto Dix, 1891-1969. Butterfly 1922. (Schmetterling) 1922. Graphite on found paper, 217 x 135 mm. Galerie Remmert und Barth, Düsseldorf
Otto Dix, 1891-1969. Argentinian Venomous Scorpion 1922, (Argentinischer Gift-Skorpion) 1922. Graphite on found paper, 134 x 217 mm. Galerie Remmert und Barth, Düsseldorf
Otto Dix, 1891-196. Giant Snake 1922. (Riesenschlange) 1922. Graphite on found paper, 135 x 217 mm. Galerie Remmert und Barth, Düsseldorf
Otto Dix, 1891-1969. Mask Fish 1922. (Maskenfisch) 1922. Graphite on found paper, 217 x 135 mm. Galerie Remmert und Barth, Düsseldorf
Otto Dix, 1891-1969. Tibetan Turkey Vulture 1922. (Tibetanischer Truthahngeier) 1922. Graphite on found paper, 135 x 217 mm. Galerie Remmert und Barth, Düsseldorf
Otto Dix, 1891-1969. Vulture Skull 1922. (Totenkopfgeier) 1922. Graphite on found paper 217 x 135 mm. Galerie Remmert und Barth, Düsseldorf
Otto Dix, 1891-1969. Self-Portrait with Easel 1926. (Selbstbildnis mit Staffelei) 1926. 800 x 550 mm. Leopold-Hoesch-Museum & Papiermuseum, Düren
Otto Dix, 1891–1969. Hugo Erfurth with Dog 1926. (Bildnis des Fotografen Hugo Erfurth mit Hund) 1926. Tempera and oil paint on panel, 800 x 1000 mm. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Otto Dix, 1891–1969. Reclining Woman on a Leopard Skin 1927. (Liegende auf Leopardenfell, 1927. Oil paint on panel, 680 x 980 mm
August Sander, 1876-1964. The Painter Otto Dix and his Wife Martha 1925-6, printed 1991. Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper, 205 x 241 mm. ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Lent by Anthony d’Offay 2010
August Sander, 1876-1964. Turkish Mousetrap Salesman 1924-30, printed 1990. Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper, 260 x 191 mm. ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Lent by Anthony d’Offay 2010
August Sander, 1876-1964. Secretary at West German Radio in Cologne 1931, printed 1992. Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper, 260 x 149 mm. ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Lent by Anthony d’Offay 2010
Otto Dix: The Evil Eye is curated by Dr Susanne Meyer-Büser, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Francesco Manacorda, Artistic Director and Lauren Barnes, Assistant Curator, Tate Liverpool. ARTIST ROOMS: August Sander is curated by Francesco Manacorda, and Lauren Barnes, Assistant Curator, with the cooperation of ARTIST ROOMS and the German Historical Institute.
Images courtesy Tate Liverpool.