Die Neue Sachlichkeit / The New Objectivity

German-english edition

The epochal term "New Objectivity" became synonymous with the cultural awakening of the 1920s, and with the rationalism and objective precision to be observed in art as well as architecture, design, photography and literature at that time. In 1925, Gustav F. Hartlaub coined the term with an exhibition of the same name. 100 years later, the exhibition shown then at Kunsthalle Mannheim will be scrutinized critically and reconstructed digitally. In addition to works by key artistic figures such as Max Beckmann, Otto Dix and George Grosz, the new exhibition will also present overlooked positions, especially those of female artists such as Anita Rée and Lotte Laserstein. The scope will also be extended topographically, e.g. to Switzerland and Italy, as well as chronologically, to the 1930s and early 1940s. The publication promises visual immersion in a formative stylistic epoch and will provide insights into the current state of research on key questions of New Objectivity.

Look inside

• New Objectivity - a panorama of the 1920s and 1930s
• An era rediscovered: female positions and forgotten artists, highlighting people, motifs and themes
• Exhibition: Kunsthalle Mannheim, 22.11.2024 - 9.3.2025

With contributions by Jelle Bouwhuis, James A. van Dyke, Inge Herold, Henning Lobin, Olaf Peters, Gunnar Saecker, Sebastian Schneider, Harald Stockert / Anja Gillen, Claude W. Sui, Christoph Vögele

„Ähnlich umfangreich und sehr informativ ist der Katalog [...]“ (Marcus Golling in: Südwest Presse, 06.12.2024)

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„Anlass ist eine einzigartige Ausstellung mit einem ebenso bemerkenswerten Katalog [...].“ (Rudolf Scharping in: Cicero, 2025/1)

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„In der Kunsthalle wie im exzellenten Katalog ist gut sichtbar markiert, welche Bilder 1925 dabei waren, unter dem Strich ein geringer Prozentsatz der opulenten Auswahl, aber ein charakteristischer.“ (Judith von Sternburg in: https://www.fr.de/kultur/kunst/neue-sachlichkeit-in-mannheim-die-sparsamen-93514541.html (14.01.2025))

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„Der opulente Katalogband beinhaltet alle Exponate in großen Abbildungen sowie zahlreiche Beiträge, die wesentliche Aspekte der „Neuen Sachlichkeit" beleuchten, was dieses eindrucksvolle Buch zu einem Grundlagen- und Standardwerk erster Güte macht.“ (Lebensart im Norden, 2025/3)