Josef May

1920s

A ruthless chronicle of Weimar Germany

Like Grosz, Dix is extremely critical of contemporary German society, unsparingly depicting prostitution, violence, old age and death and often dwelling on Lustmord, or sexualized murder. His legless and disfigured veterans, a common sight on Berlin's streets in the 1920s, reveal the ugly side of war and the forgotten status of these men in German society.

1924

Joining the Berlin Secession

In 1924 Dix joins the Berlin Secession.

c. 1924

Oil glazes over a tempera underpainting

By this time Dix is developing an increasingly realistic style of painting, using thin glazes of oil paint over a tempera underpainting in the manner of the old masters.

1925

The Neue Sachlichkeit exhibition in Mannheim

Dix contributes to the Neue Sachlichkeit exhibition in Mannheim, which also features works by George Grosz, Max Beckmann, Heinrich Maria Davringhausen, Karl Hubbuch, Rudolf Schlichter, Georg Scholz and many others.

1925

The Trench scandal: Adenauer cancels the purchase

The Trench causes such a furor that the Wallraf-Richartz Museum hides the painting behind a curtain; in 1925 the then-mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, cancels the purchase of the painting and forces the museum's director to resign.

1927

Son born: Ursus Dix