The Robbers: German Art in a Time of Crisis
In February 2018, the Portland Museum of Art will open The Robbers:
German Art in a Time of Crisis in the Palladian Gallery. The exhibition of
approximately thirty German prints executed between the World Wars will
highlight the complete portfolio of George Grosz鈥檚 1922 The Robbers.
Grosz based his lithographic suite on Friedrich Schiller iconic 1781 play of the
same name, yet when Grosz depicted the canonical story he situated the action in
the tumultuous climate of early 1920s Berlin. With figures culled from the
modern era, Grosz鈥檚 imagery suggests the vast social discord where the traumatic
effects of the mechanized war, greed, industry, and poverty intersected to
undermine national stability in the young Weimar Republic.
In addition to the Grosz鈥檚 Robbers portfolios, the exhibition will also include provocative artworks, by printmakers including Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, K盲the Kollvitz. These works, many of which are gifts to the PMA from David and Eva Bradford, add context to Grosz鈥檚 social and artistic expression and are equally probing in their evaluation of German society and national identity.
This exhibition, opening in the centenary year of the end of World War I,
turns our attention away from the conflict itself and towards the aftermath that
defined the next two decades. History, politics, art, and national identity will
intersect and provoke questions about who we are and what we value in ways that
are as pertinent today as they were a century ago.
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In February 2018, the Portland Museum of Art will open The Robbers:
German Art in a Time of Crisis in the Palladian Gallery. The exhibition of
approximately thirty German prints executed between the World Wars will
highlight the complete portfolio of George Grosz鈥檚 1922 The Robbers.
Grosz based his lithographic suite on Friedrich Schiller iconic 1781 play of the
same name, yet when Grosz depicted the canonical story he situated the action in
the tumultuous climate of early 1920s Berlin. With figures culled from the
modern era, Grosz鈥檚 imagery suggests the vast social discord where the traumatic
effects of the mechanized war, greed, industry, and poverty intersected to
undermine national stability in the young Weimar Republic.
In addition to the Grosz鈥檚 Robbers portfolios, the exhibition will also include provocative artworks, by printmakers including Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, K盲the Kollvitz. These works, many of which are gifts to the PMA from David and Eva Bradford, add context to Grosz鈥檚 social and artistic expression and are equally probing in their evaluation of German society and national identity.
This exhibition, opening in the centenary year of the end of World War I,
turns our attention away from the conflict itself and towards the aftermath that
defined the next two decades. History, politics, art, and national identity will
intersect and provoke questions about who we are and what we value in ways that
are as pertinent today as they were a century ago.
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