America – Dream and Depression 1920/40
After the boom of the 1920s, World War II prevented the presentation of art from abroad in Berlin. During this period, not only were many German artists forced to emigrate, but cross-border exchanges also ceased. This exhibition, hosted by the Akademie der Künste in 1980, focuses on the art scene of North America. Many works from the United States made after the end of the war had already been presented to a broader public – but what about the period before 1945? Addressing this question, the nGbK working group showed works that reflect “the turbulent political developments on the other side of the Atlantic,” as Berlin’s then mayor Dietrich Stobbe puts it in his foreword. The catalogue, too, presents works of American realism from the years 1920 through 1940, placed in sociopolitical context by many essays and historical materials. Featured artists include Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock, and Dorothea Lange.

Ed.: nGbK und Akademie der Künste, Berlin

Work group: Greta Berman, John Czaplicka, Hubertus Gaßner, Eckhart Gillen, Yvonne Leonard, Michael Nungesser, Bernhard Schulz, Gisela Stahl, Bernd Weyergraf