688 - Otto Dix (1891, Untermhaus near Gera – Singen, 1969)

Otto Dix (1891, Untermhaus near Gera – Singen, 1969) “Trench in Front of Loretto” Pencil on brownish vellum. (Circa 1916). Approx. 29 x 29 cm. Signed lower left and titled on the reverse. Lorenz WK 5.4.44. Otto Dix enlisted as a volunteer in the military in 1914 and fought on the front lines for nearly four years. He was initially assigned to the field artillery and later served as a machine-gunner. During this time, Dix produced thousands of sketches and drawings directly at the front. These later served as the basis for his series of war paintings, in which he unflinchingly depicts the cruelty and absurdity of war. This drawing was created on the Loretto Heights in northern France, which in 1915 was the scene of a bloody battle between German and French troops. However, our drawing was created over a year later, as Dix was not deployed there until between August and October 1916. His experiences, marked by the misery of trench warfare and the ever-present danger of death, are reflected in many of his works. Bibliography: Conzelmann, Otto, *Der andere Dix. Sein Bild vom Menschen und vom Krieg*, Stuttgart 1983, p. 98, Fig. 138; van Lil, Kira, Otto Dix and the First World War: The Nature of Man in an Exceptional Situation, Munich 1996/2000, Fig. 150. Exhibition: Otto Dix. Drawings of the 1920s, Günther Franke Gallery, Munich, 1971, cat. no. 94, ill.; Otto Dix—Between the Wars. Drawings, Watercolors, Sketches, and Prints 1912–1939, Haus am Waldsee, Berlin 1977, cat. no. 4, ill. p. 40; Otto Dix. Drawings from the Estate, 1911–1942, Kunsthalle, Kiel 1980, cat. no. 8, ill.; Otto Dix. The Early Years, Erholungshaus der Bayer A.G., Leverkusen, et al., 1989/90, no illustration; Otto Dix, Kunsthalle Krems, Krems, et al., 2009–2014. Provenance: Galerie Günther Franke, Munich, 1971; Serge Sabarsky Collection/Estate, New York; Vally Sabarsky Collection/Foundation, New York. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).