Olaf Peters Bücher

Otto Dix (1891 – 1969) prägte wie kaum ein anderer Maler das Gesicht der Weimarer Republik. Seine Bilder der Neuen Sachlichkeit wirken wie Ikonen einer so schillernden wie bedrückenden Zeit. Im Nationalsozialismus als »entartet« geächtet, lebte er zurückgezogen am Bodensee und wandte sich unverfänglichen, z. T. christlichen Themen und der Landschaft zu. Nach 1945 setzte er seine Karriere trotz der vorherrschenden Abstraktion fort, erfuhr in beiden deutschen Staaten Anerkennung, ließ sich aber von keiner Strömung und Kulturpolitik vereinnahmen. Eine neue, kompakte Darstellung von Leben und Werk des Künstlers ist längst überfällig, gibt es doch seit Anfang der 90er Jahre keine neue, den Forschungsstand berücksichtigende Gesamtdarstellung in dieser Form mehr. Olaf Peters verarbeitet zeitgenössische Quellen und Publikationen sowie den privaten Nachlass des Künstlers. Er stellt die Dix-Rezeption und die künstlerischen Strategien des Malers dar und ihm gelingt eine neue Analyse von Hauptwerken. Das Ergebnis ist eine fundierte, epochenübergreifende Gesamtdarstellung des von Brüchen gekennzeichneten Lebenswerks.

"F. E. Peters, a scholar without peer in the comparative study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, revisits his pioneering work after twenty-five years. Peters has rethought and thoroughly rewritten his classic The Children of Abraham for a new generation of readers-at a time when the understanding of these three religious traditions has taken on a new and critical urgency." "Peters traces the three faiths from the sixth century B.C. when the Jews returned to Palestine from exile in Babylonia, to the time in the Middle Ages when they approached their present form. The book's text is direct and accessible with thorough and nuanced discussions of each of the three religions. Updated footnotes provide the reader with expert guidance into the highly complex issues that lie between every line of this stunning and timely new edition of The Children of Abraham."--Jacket

Focusing on modern art history in the German-speaking world, this volume explores significant historical developments in Austria and Germany from 1890 to 1940. It highlights the varied achievements of this period, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Neue Galerie New York with a comprehensive examination of influential artists and movements that shaped the era.

This richly illustrated and comprehensive publication examines a pivotal decade in Max Beckmann's career as a leading figurative painter of the twentieth century. It delves into a crucial period that shaped his artistic development and garnered him significant acclaim. Beckmann's harrowing experience as a medical orderly during World War I resulted in a nervous breakdown, which he processed through his art. He embraced recent movements like Cubism and Expressionism, leading to innovative pictorial concepts starting in 1915. The works he produced between 1917 and 1925 positioned him at the forefront of contemporary representational painting. His celebrated status was solidified in 1925 with his prominent role in the influential "Neue Sachlichkeit" (New Objectivity) exhibition in Mannheim, although he later distanced himself from this label. The book situates Beckmann within both artistic and historical contexts, featuring essays from established experts and emerging scholars that explore the dynamic energy of his work from 1915 to 1925—a period he revisited throughout his life. The self-referential nature of Beckmann's output is crucial for understanding his artistic evolution, which becomes clearer through an analysis of these formative years.