Neue Sachlichkeit / New Objectivity

Feb 20 — May 26, 2025

Neue Galerie New York

The Neue Sachlichkeit movement was divided by two philosophies—the unflinching and socially critical Verists, and the Classicists, who focused on harmony and beauty. 

Georg Scholz (1890-1945), Of Things to Come, 1922, Oil on board, Neue Galerie New York

This special exhibition at Neue Galerie New York debuts in conjunction with the centenary of Gustav F. Hartlaub’s 1925 groundbreaking survey of the same name held at the Kunsthalle Mannheim. The New Objectivity movement is considered one of the most significant artistic developments of the twentieth century. Hartlaub’s presentation showcased a new style of art that had emerged in the aftermath of World War I, characterized by its critical realism, social commentary, and detailed depiction of contemporary life, and marking a significant departure from Expressionism’s emotional intensity.

The Neue Sachlichkeit movement was divided by two philosophies—the unflinching and socially critical Verists (represented by Otto Dix, George Grosz, and Georg Scholz, for example), and the Classicists (such as Alexander Kanoldt, Georg Schrimpf, and Christian Schad), who focused on harmony and beauty. The show will offer a wide-ranging perspective, exploring the tension between the Verists and the Classicists, which will be illustrated through a multidisciplinary installation, featuring paintings, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, works on paper, and film. The artists represented include Max Beckmann, Marianne Brandt, Marcel Breuer, Otto Dix, Carl Grossberg, George Grosz, Karl Hubbuch, August Sander, Christian Schad, Oskar Schlemmer, and Georg Scholz, among others. The presentation interprets these two camps as a coherent chapter in art history, focusing on the ways that the New Objectivity proponents mirrored the Weimar Republic’s cultural, political, and social complexities.

“Neue Sachlichkeit / New Objectivity” is organized by Neue Galerie New York. This exhibition is curated by Dr. Olaf Peters, a professor of modern art at Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. At the Neue Galerie, Dr. Peters has previously organized “Max Beckmann: The Formative Years, 1915-1925,” “Otto Dix,” “Degenerate Art: The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany, 1937,” “Berlin Metropolis: 1918-1933,” and “Before the Fall: German and Austrian Art of the 1930s.”