Otto Dix: Hommage a Martha

Between 1921 and 1933, Otto Dix (1891-1969) created many portraits of his lover and later wife, Martha. Representative paintings, watercolors, drawings, and humorous sketches show Martha Dix in various roles: as a sophisticated, emancipated woman; as muse and intellectual companion; as mother and center point of the family. The painter's different attitudes toward his model, which range from admiration to intimacy to increasing distance, are transposed into a multiplicity of different types of portraits. The titles of the works, from emotionally charged to matter-of-fact description, underscore this impression. Martha's portraits show more than just the art of Otto Dix in its many facets. They also reflect the urban flair, fashion, music, dance, and traditional and new gender roles in the 1920s.