Lot 447
George Grosz – Ecce Homo – Berlin 1923
George Grosz, Ecce Homo. Berlin: Malik, 1923. German.
One of the most important graphic works of the German artist George Grosz (1893-1959). This work was published in five different editions. The present edition, "Ausgabe BII", includes reproductions of 16 watercolor drawings held in the original cardboard case, with an illustration by Grosz printed on the front.
The title of the work is taken from the words of Pontius Pilate, spoken when Jesus was brought before him, bound and battered, far from being the "messiah" he claimed to be only a few days earlier. Grosz uses these words to illuminate the figure of the average German citizen, who considered himself a moral and peace-loving hero, and to portray that figure as Grosz saw him, in a harshly critical light, a decade prior to Hitler's rise to power.
[16], [2] leaves, 36 cm. Good condition. Some stains. Foxing to cardboard case. Tear of about 3 cm. to one of the plates.
