The New Realism: Modern Painting in Weimar Germany during the 1920's and 1930's

Reacting to the Expressionism of the prewar years, many artists in Germany returned to realism during the 1920s, a tendency labeled Neue Sachlichkeit, or the "New Objectivity." These artists explored the harsh realities of contemporary life during the unstable period between the wars and are the subject of an exhibition at the Neue Gallerie in New York City from February through May 2025.

The socially conscious realism of these artists was the target of the Nazi's cultural policy against Modern art, brought to a climax in the "Degenerate Art Exhibition" staged by the Nazis in 1936 to ridicule Modernism, whether abstract or realistic, as decadent "cultural bolshevism."

Presented by:  Dr. Dennis Raverty is an Associate Professor at New Jersey City University where he teaches 19th and 20th-century art history, the art of West Africa, the diaspora and African American art, as well as the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Europe. An award-winning teacher, Raverty lives in New York City, and is currently co-authoring a book on American illustration with Dennis Dittrich, former president of the Society of Illustrators.