The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 18, 2024
Der Krieg
1914
(German, 1894–1970)
Overall: 82 x 69.5 cm (32 5/16 x 27 3/8 in.)
Location: 225 German Expressionism & Surrealism
Did You Know?
The Nazis seized 200 of this artist's paintings because they were considered "degenerate art."Description
A member of a circle of avant-garde artists active in Cologne, Davringhausen painted this apocalyptic vision of a burning village in 1914 as a premonition of the violence and destructiveness of the First World War. Tiny black figures, some apparently carrying and shooting guns, are engulfed in a vortex of burning, collapsing buildings, perhaps alluding to the potential obliteration of cities and countries, even the social structures of Western Civilization. Through a masterful merging of expressionist emotion with Cubist and Futurist formal devices, Der Krieg (War) made a significant contribution to the theme of apocalyptic war scenes painted by the German Expressionists.- The artist (until 1970.Private collection (1970-2016).[Dorotheum, Vienna, auction, 23 November 2016, lot 505].[Ketterer Kunst, Munich, auction, 10 June 2017, lot 233].Purchased by the Cleveland Museum of Art, 10 June 2017.
- Robinson: William H. “Acquisition Highlights: Modern Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 58. no. 2 (March/April 2018): 23. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 23.Robinson, William H. “Acquisition Highlights: Modern Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 58. no. 2 (March/April 2018): 23. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 23.
- {{cite web|title=Der Krieg|url=false|author=Heinrich Davringhausen|year=1914|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.99