Adolf Uzarski
Encyclopedia
Adolf Uzarski was a German
writer, artist, and illustrator associated with the New Objectivity
movement.
He was born in Ruhrort
bei Duisburg
and studied at the Cologne
School of Architecture before enrolling in 1906 at the Düsseldorf
School of Arts and Crafts. He exhibited in Berlin
and Hagen
in the years before World War I
, and also became a successful commercial artist. While directing the advertising department of the Tietz
department store, in 1916–17 he produced the portfolio of lithographs, Totentanz ("Danse Macabre"). Beginning in 1919 he exhibited with "Das Junge Rheinland" (Young Rhineland), of which he was a founding member. This stylistically diverse group, which also included Arthur Kaufmann
and Herbert Eulenberg
, was united only by their rejection of academic art.
Active as a visual artist and also as a writer of poetry and fiction, Uzarski illustrated his own books and those of others. During the Weimar years
he was one of the artists championed by the Düsseldorf art dealer Johanna Ey
, until a rift between them in 1923, after which Uzarski left the "Young Rhineland" group to form the "Rheingruppe" (Rhine group), with whom he exhibited from 1925 to 1930.
His art was caricatural
in style and sharply satirical of bourgeois society. In 1942, condemned as a degenerate art
ist by the Nazis, he was forbidden to paint, and went into hiding in Robertville, Belgium
. At the end of World War II
, Uzarski returned to Düsseldorf and continued his career. He was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Berlin Academy of Arts in 1967.
Adolf Uzarski died in Düsseldorf in 1970.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
writer, artist, and illustrator associated with the New Objectivity
New Objectivity
The New Objectivity is a term used to characterize the attitude of public life in Weimar Germany as well as the art, literature, music, and architecture created to adapt to it...
movement.
He was born in Ruhrort
Ruhrort
Ruhrort is a district within the German city of Duisburg situated north of the confluence of the Ruhr and the Rhine, in the western part of the Ruhr area...
bei Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
and studied at the Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
School of Architecture before enrolling in 1906 at the Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
School of Arts and Crafts. He exhibited in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
in the years before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and also became a successful commercial artist. While directing the advertising department of the Tietz
Tietz
Tietz is a surname, and may refer to:* Anthony Tietz , research scientist and fermentation expert* Anton Ferdinand Tietz , composer* Gerold Tietz Tietz is a surname, and may refer to:* Anthony Tietz (1947), research scientist and fermentation expert* Anton Ferdinand Tietz (1742–1810), composer*...
department store, in 1916–17 he produced the portfolio of lithographs, Totentanz ("Danse Macabre"). Beginning in 1919 he exhibited with "Das Junge Rheinland" (Young Rhineland), of which he was a founding member. This stylistically diverse group, which also included Arthur Kaufmann
Arthur Kaufmann (artist)
Arthur Kaufmann was an influential avante-garde German painter, who was a key figure in the Post-Expressionist and New Objectivity art movements....
and Herbert Eulenberg
Herbert Eulenberg
Herbert Eulenberg was a German poet and author born in Cologne-Mülheim, Germany.-1920s:Eulenberg was the publisher of many books, for which he wrote the introductions. His speech on Schiller, which he wrote in 1909, generated heated debates...
, was united only by their rejection of academic art.
Active as a visual artist and also as a writer of poetry and fiction, Uzarski illustrated his own books and those of others. During the Weimar years
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
he was one of the artists championed by the Düsseldorf art dealer Johanna Ey
Johanna Ey
Johanna Ey was an art dealer in Germany during the 1920s. She became known as Mutter Ey for the nurturing support she provided to her artists, who included Max Ernst and Otto Dix.-Biography:...
, until a rift between them in 1923, after which Uzarski left the "Young Rhineland" group to form the "Rheingruppe" (Rhine group), with whom he exhibited from 1925 to 1930.
His art was caricatural
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
in style and sharply satirical of bourgeois society. In 1942, condemned as a degenerate art
Degenerate art
Degenerate art is the English translation of the German entartete Kunst, a term adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe virtually all modern art. Such art was banned on the grounds that it was un-German or Jewish Bolshevist in nature, and those identified as degenerate artists were...
ist by the Nazis, he was forbidden to paint, and went into hiding in Robertville, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Uzarski returned to Düsseldorf and continued his career. He was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Berlin Academy of Arts in 1967.
Adolf Uzarski died in Düsseldorf in 1970.
Books written by Uzarski
- Möppi, MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 1921 - Die spanische Reise, Munich, 1921
- Chamäleon. Ein Heldenbuch., Munich, 1922
- Die Reise nach Deutschland., PotsdamPotsdamPotsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, 1924 - Tun-Kwang-pipi, Potsdam, 1924
- Herr Knobloch, Munich, 1926
- Kurukallawalla, Munich, 1927
- Der Fall Uzarski, Munich, 1928
- Das Hotel Zum Paradies, Munich, 1929
- Beinahe Weltmeister, Munich, 1930
- Panoptikum, Berlin, 1955
- Lager-Schaden, Berlin, 1985