Two Men (Zwei Männer)

1912–1913

Paris: Daumier and Toulouse-Lautrec

In Paris Grosz becomes acquainted with the newest art and discovers the graphic work of Daumier and Toulouse-Lautrec.

1915–1917 · 居住

Steglitz

1916

A new name: Georg Groß becomes George Grosz

To 'de-Germanise' and internationalise his name, Grosz changes its spelling: Georg becomes the English 'George' and the German 'ß' in his surname is replaced by 'sz'. It is a protest against German nationalism and a romantic enthusiasm for America, drawn from the books of James Fenimore Cooper, Bret Harte and Karl May; his friend and collaborator Helmut Herzfeld likewise becomes John Heartfield at the same time.

1918

A founder of Berlin Dada

Grosz settles in Berlin and becomes one of the founders of Berlin Dada, using his satirical drawings to attack the bourgeois supporters of the Weimar Republic.

1918–1919

Joining the Spartacist League, later the KPD

Following the November Revolution Grosz joins the Spartacist League, which is renamed the Communist Party of Germany in December 1918.

1918–1921 · 居住

Wilmersdorf