The early decades of the twentieth century marked an extraordinary period in German art, as artists responded to a rapidly changing modern world shaped by social, political and cultural upheaval. Towards a Collapsing World explores this moment of intense cultural flourishing through a focused survey of works on paper by leading figures of German Expressionism.
Rather than a single unified movement, German Expressionism encompassed a plurality of attitudes and styles. Artist groups such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) formed and dissolved in response to shifting ideologies, united by a shared belief in art’s power to effect social change.
The exhibition foregrounds the woodcut as a vital medium within German Expressionism. Reviving a medieval tradition, these prints employ stark, simplified forms, bold patterns and raw intensity to convey inner turmoil and urgent social critique, revealing the emotional and political charge of the period.
