Otto Dix

Otto Dix (1891-1969) shaped the face of the Weimar Republic like few other painters. His images of New Objectivity serve as icons of a time that was both vibrant and oppressive. Denounced as "degenerate" during the National Socialist regime, he lived a reclusive life by Lake Constance, turning to innocuous, partly Christian themes and landscapes. After 1945, he continued his career despite the prevailing abstraction, gaining recognition in both German states, but he was not co-opted by any movement or cultural policy. A new, comprehensive representation of the artist's life and work is long overdue, as there has not been a new overview that considers the current state of research since the early 1990s. Olaf Peters processes contemporary sources and publications, as well as the artist's private estate. He presents the reception of Dix's work.