Degner, Arthur (1888-1972), Self-portrait, c. 1950

Arthur Degner(1888 Gumbinnen - Berlin 1972), Self-portrait, around 1950. Linocut. 1980 print from the original plate, 22.5 cm x 17.5 cm (image), 29.8 cm x 21 cm (sheet size)

- Minimally light-stained, otherwise in very good condition

- Despite everything -

Arthur Degner's face emerges from a red background. White lines depict his characteristic features. After his ostracism and the blows of fate, he looks to the future with an insistently straightforward gaze. The broad wrinkles that resemble indentations bear witness to his life experiences.

About the artist

Arthur Dehner studied at the Königsberg Art Academy under Ludwig Dettmann and Otto Heichert from 1906 to 1908. He first went to Munich in 1909 and then settled in Berlin. He quickly became a prominent figure in the Berlin art scene, exhibiting at the Paul Cassirer Gallery in 1912. Lovis Corinth and Max Liebermann were among his patrons. After serving as a medic in World War I, Dehner took over the board of the Freie Secession in 1919, of which he had been a member since 1911. Dehner was also a member of the Deutscher Künstlerbund, the Reichsverband bildender Künstler, and the Deutscher Werkbund. In 1920, Dehner accepted a position at the Königsberg Academy, and in 1925, he accepted a position at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts. From 1931 to 1933, he directed the Berlin Secession. In 1936, he received the Villa Romana Prize from the Deutscher Künstlerbund, which allowed him to study in Florence. In 1937, his works were removed from public collections and destroyed as "degenerate." He was expelled from the Reich Chamber of Culture in 1939. After his studio and 300 paintings were destroyed in 1943, Degner moved to Silesia. Following the end of World War II, Karl Hofer brought Degner back to the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts, where he taught in 1956.