Glitter and Doom at the Met

The defeat in World War I, the failure of revolution, the disintegration of their social system, and inflation of rampant proportion helped shape Germany's short-lived Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Remarkably, these years of political, economic and social turmoil were also a time of creative ferment and innovative accomplishment in art, literature, film, and science.
From now until February 19, 2007, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City captures a snapshot of this tumultuous era in their exhibit "Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s." In this exhibit 40 paintings and 60 works on paper vividly capture the sober and critical reflections of ten renowned German artists: Max Beckman, Heinrich Maria Davringhausen, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Karl Hubbuch, Ludwig Meidner, Christian Schad, Rudolf Schlichter, George Scholz, and Gert H. Wollheim.

Disenchantment by the cataclysm of World War I, the artists turned to a matter-of-fact realism that crystallized as Neue Sachlichkeit or New Objectivity. This encompassed two wings: the conservative that tended towards classicalism and the left, Verism, which comprises the artists on display at the Met. Many of these Verists found their métier in portraiture in which they attempted to distill the sitter's appearance so that he or she represents a type rather than a realistic depiction.
Rather than painting the portraits of politicians and aristocrats, these artists chose to illuminate the prostitutes and profiteers, war veterans and war widows, performers and poets that permeated this society. Of particular interest are the paintings that embody the Berlin nightlife. With the abandonment of censorship laws in 1918, cabarets and cafes boomed and licentious behavior flourished. Several works in this series illustrate settings that were novel at the time: bars featuring black jazz bands and literary cafes where single women drink and smoke.

Hitler's rise to power in 1933 marked the end of this era. Artists lost their teaching positions, their work was banned and many of them went into exile.

"This landmark presentation is the first anywhere to focus on the portraiture of the Weimar period," said Pilippe de Montebello, Director of the Metropolitan Museum. "In these gripping images, the rootless society that flourished or floundered during these years in metropolises such as Berlin, Dusseldorf, and Dresden jolts back to life." Also, with more than 50 works by Otto Dix, this exhibition will be the first major presentation of the artist's work in the United States.

Hours*
Friday 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sunday 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Monday Closed (Note: The Met will be open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day: January 15, 2007 )
Tuesday 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Thursday 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
The Museum is also closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day

Admissions
$20 recommended for adults, $10 recommended for senior citizens (65 and older), $10 recommended for students, includes Main Building and The Cloisters on the same day. Children under twelve are free if accompanied by an adult.