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Berlin Metropolis BERLIN METROPOLIS BERLIN METROPOLIS 1918–1933 Edited by Olaf Peters Preface by Ronald S. Lauder, foreword by Renée Price With contributions by: Leonhard Helten Jürgen Müller Olaf Peters and Sharon Jordan Janina Nentwig Dorothy Price Adelheid Rasche PRESTEL MUNICH • LONDON • NEW YORK This catalogue has been published in conjunction with the exhibition BERLIN METROPOLIS: 1918–1933 Neue Galerie New York October 1, 2015 – January 4, 2016 Berlin Metropolis: 1918–1933 is supported by a generous grant from A. Lange & Söhne With additional support from This exhibition is made possible in part by the Neue Galerie President’s Circle. Curator © 2015 Neue Galerie New York; Library of Congress Control Number: 2015946434 Olaf Peters Prestel Verlag, Munich • London • New York; British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: Exhibition design and authors a catalogue record for this book is available Richard Pandiscio, from the British Library; Deutsche Nationalbibliothek William Loccisano / Pandiscio Co. Prestel Verlag, Munich holds a record of this publication in the Deutsche A member of Verlagsgruppe Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographical data Director of publications Random House GmbH can be found under: http://www.dnb.de Scott Gutterman Prestel Verlag ISBN 978-3-7913-5490-3 Managing editor Neumarkter Strasse 28 Janis Staggs 81673 Munich Tel. +49 (0)89 4136-0 Editorial assistance Fax +49 (0)89 4136-2335 Liesbet van Leemput www.prestel.de Book design Prestel Publishing Ltd. Richard Pandiscio, 14-17 Wells Street Verlagsgruppe Random House FSC® N001967 William Loccisano / Pandiscio Co. London W1T 3PD The FSC®-certified paper Magnomatt Tel. +44 (0)20 7323-5004 was supplied by Igepa Translation Fax. +44 (0)20 7323-0271 Steven Lindberg FRONTISPIECE: Hannah Höch (1889–1978), Prestel Publishing World Revolution, 1920, gelatin silver print. Project coordination 900 Broadway, Suite 603 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ford Motor Anja Besserer New York, NY 10003 Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company Tel. +1 (212) 995-2720 and John C. Waddell Production Fax +1 (212) 995-2733 Andrea Cobré www.prestel.com PAGE 6: George Grosz, Memory of New York, 1915–16, Plate I of the First George Grosz Portfolio, Origination Prestel books are available published by Malik-Verlag, Berlin, 1916–17, Royal Media, Munich worldwide. Please contact your lithograph. The Museum of Modern Art, New York nearest bookseller or one of the Printing and binding above addresses for information PAGE 9: Raoul Hausmann (1886–1971), Dada Passavia, Passau concerning your local distributor. Triumphs (The Exacting Brain of a Bourgeois Calls Forth a World Movement), 1920, watercolor and collage on wove paper mounted on board. Private Collection ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Heinrich Schulze Altcappenberg, Berlin Carey Jung, New York Cora Rosevear, New York Catherine Amé, Berlin Julie Jung, New York Jeff Rosenheim, New York Art Installation Design, New York Katrin Käding, Berlin Rainer Rother, Berlin Jamie Aydt, St. Louis Katy Kane, New Hope Anett Sawall, Berlin Thomas Bauer-Friedrich, Halle/Saale Cheryl Karim, New York Andreas Schalhorn, Berlin Jennifer Belt, New York Randy Kaufman, Berlin Uwe Schaper, Berlin Brent Benjamin, St. Louis Harold Koda, New York Hans-Jörg Schirmbeck, Berlin Stephan Berg, Bonn Gerald Köhler, Cologne Peter Cachola Schmal, Berlin Merrill C. Berman, New York Thomas Köhler, Berlin Dieter Scholz, Berlin Anja Besserer, Munich Hulya Kolabas, New York Sandy Schreier, Southfield Tobia Bezzola, Essen Chris Korner, Marbach Robert Schreiner, New York Nina Bingel, Stuttgart Sriba Kwadjovie, San Francisco Antje Seeger, Halle/Saale Franziska Bohr, Leipzig Rainer Laabs, Berlin Luise Seppeler, Berlin Susanne Brüning, Essen Heather Lammers, San Antonio Annemarie Seyda, Berlin Antonia Bryan, New York Liesbet van Leemput, New York Julie Simpson, Washington, DC Thomas Campbell, New York Michael Lesh, New York Michael Slade, New York William Chiego, San Antonio Rebecca Lewis, New York Ute Smeteck, Berlin Andrea Cobré, Munich Steven Lindberg, Molkom Maggie Spicer, New York Brenna Cothran, New York William Loccisano, New York Janis Staggs, New York Crozier Fine Arts, New York Susan Logan-Ferry, Detroit Judy and Michael Steinhardt, New York Corey D’Augustine, New York Glenn Lowry, New York Henrik Strehmel, Berlin Markus Dennig, New York LP Art, Paris Hana Streicher, Berlin Margit Diefenthal, Berlin Norbert Ludwig, Berlin Elizabeth Szancer, New York Fernando Eguchi, New York Peter Marx, Berlin Christian Tagger, Berlin Johannes Evers, Berlin Masterpiece International Elisa Tamaschke, Halle/Saale Conrad Feininger, Westport Maria Fernanda Meza, New York Guy Tosatto, Grenoble Matthias Finke, Berlin Hedwig Müller, Cologne Monika Tritschler, Berlin René Finke, Berlin Jürgen Müller, Dresden Isabelle Varloteaux, Grenoble Emily Foss, New York Hans-Dieter Nägelke, Berlin Hannah Vietoris, Essen Melissa Front, New York Allison Needle, New York Wolfgang Voigt, Frankfurt am Main Joyce Fung, New York Janina Nentwig, Berlin Michael Voss, New York Kristina Georgi, Bonn Vlasta Odell, New York Barbara Weber, Bonn Wendy Griffiths, Fort Worth Richard Pandiscio, New York Wolfgang Welker, Frankfurt Scott Gutterman, New York Wolfgang Pauser, Vienna Nara Wood, Middleton Jeffrey Haber, New York Klaus-Dieter Pett, Berlin Moritz Wullen, Berlin Hasenkamp, Germany Andreas Piel, Berlin Claudia Zachariae, Berlin Stefanie Heckmann, Berlin Carina Plath, Hanover Tom Zoufaly, New York Leonhard Helten, Halle/Saale Dorothy Price, Bristol Lutz Herrmann, Berlin Ellen Price, New York We also acknowledge those individuals Sibylle Hoiman, Berlin Sami Rama, New Haven who prefer to remain anonymous. Ara Howrani, Detroit Adelheid Rasche, Berlin Cynthia Iavarone, New York Juliane Reckow, Halle/Saale Annemarie Jaeggi, Berlin Phyllis La Riccia, New York Joachim Jäger, Berlin Mary Winston Richardson, New York Joelle Jensen, New York Ingrid Rieck, Berlin Ryan Jensen, New York Julia Riedel, Berlin Sharon Jordan, New York Jerry Rivera, New York CONTENTS 8 RonaldS.Lauder Preface 10 Renée Price Foreword DADA AND STREET LIFE 14 BERLIN METROPOLIS Art,Culture,andPoliticsBetweentheWars Olaf Peters 36 ART AND ANTI-ART IN BERLIN AROUND 1920 Dada and the Novembergruppe Janina Nentwig 58 PLATES I ARCHITECTURE, THEATER, AND FILM 114 MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN 1920s BERLIN Leonhard Helten 136 BABELSBERG/BABYLON Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” Reinterpreted Jürgen Müller 162 PLATES II THENEWWOMAN,FASHION,ANDPOLITICS 246 “THE RHYTHM OF OUR TIME IS JAZZ” Popular Entertainment during the Weimar Republic Sharon Jordan 274 THE NEW WOMAN IN 1920s BERLIN Dorothy Price 294 BERLIN AS A CITY OF FASHION Adelheid Rasche 311 PLATES III 370 Checklist 388 Selected Bibliography 394 Index 400 Photograph and Copyright Credits PREFACE Withthisexhibition,wecelebrateamagicaltimeinthehistoryofBerlin.Theperiodfrom1918to1933sawtremendous advances in art, film, literature, even social relations in the German capital. One thinks of Alfred Döblin and his epic novel, Berlin Alexanderplatz; groundbreaking films such as Metropolis by Fritz Lang, and great stars like Marlene Dietrich; brilliant painterssuchasOttoDix,GeorgGrosz,andChristianSchad;thefantasticmusicaltheaterofBertoltBrechtandKurtWeill; andthedesigninnovationsofthelateBauhaus—allhappeninginthesameplaceandtime.Berlinwas,inasense,theonly trulyinternationalGermancity,theoneinwhichthemodernerawasborn.Tragically,theriseoftheNazisbroughtanendto this miracle of civic enlightenment. MyowninvolvementinBerlinbeganinmystudentdaysofthe1960s.Ireturnednumeroustimesovertheintervening decades.IamproudtohavedevelopedtheformerCheckpointCharliesite,contributingtothisoncebarrenarea’srevital- ization, and to have worked on the preservation and development of the historic Tegel airport. It is gratifying to have played a small part in reestablishing Berlin as a major world capital. At the same time, I have always been drawn to the art of this incrediblecity,andIamproudthattheNeueGalerieservesasahometosomanymasterpiecesofearlytwentieth-century German art. I am delighted to have Olaf Peters as the curator of this exhibition, because he shows the period in all its richness and diver- sity. The results are truly stunning. IwishtothanktheConsulGeneralfortheGermanConsulateGeneralinNewYork,BritaWagener,aswellasourpartners inVisitBerlin.Theyarehelpingwelcomenewgenerationsofvisitorstothisimportantculturalcenter,fromitsworld-class museums and opera to its concert halls to its lovely Tiergarten. OurownexhibitionremindsusofthekeyroleBerlinhasplayedinEuropeanculture.Insodoing,italsoinvitesnewvisitors tolearnmoreaboutthisonceandfuturegreatcity. Ronald S. Lauder President, Neue Galerie New York Raoul Hausmann, A Bourgeois Precision Brain Incites a World Movement (later known as Dada Triumphs),1920,watercolorandcollage onwovepapermountedonboard.PrivateCollection.©2015ArtistsRightsSociety(ARS),NewYork/ADAGP,Paris FOREWORD FormanyAmericans,thephrase“Berlininthe1920s”conjuresasingleimage:thatofmadcapnightlife,ofdecadenceset against a deteriorating social landscape. In short, it is the Weimar world of Cabaret, as indelibly depicted on film and on stage. But the truth of this time was far more complex. Agonizing political realities set the stage, from the ruinous economy that developed in the wake of Germany’s defeat in World War I to the rise of Nazism toward the decade’s end. The culture that developedinthisuniquetimeandplacehaditsshareofspectacularmoments.YetBerlinwas,andis,morethanthesumof these disparate parts. Inpresenting“BerlinMetropolis:1918–1933,”theNeueGalerieNewYorkseekstomovebeyondtheclichés.Ourgoalisto
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