Anna-Carola Krausse - Böcker

When one speaks of the “lost generation,” it also includes Lotte Laserstein (1898–1993). After the National Socialists seized power, she was forced to leave Germany, and her exile resulted in her being forgotten. Laserstein’s artistic career, however, began auspiciously: in 1927, she was the first woman to complete studies at the Berlin Academy of the Arts withdistinction, and quickly made a name for herself in the art metropolis. While her works are close to Neue Sachlichkeit, they lack its cool, dissecting smoothness. Laserstein’s selfassured view of the new woman, technical mastery, play with traditional and modern visual formulas, as well as her synthesis of objectivity and sensitivity give her pictures a captivating contemporaneity and time-transcending topicality. Look inside

Comprehensive view and new research on the fascinating painter of New Objectivity. The German-Swedish painter Lotte Laserstein (1898-1993) is one of the most exciting rediscoveries of recent years. The richly illustrated book with essays on Laserstein’s production in Berlin and her reception in Sweden as well as unpublished documentary material can enrich the existing knowledge of Laserstein’s life and work. Laserstein’s current reputation as a great realist has assigned her an undisputed place in the 20th-century art history. Striking portraits, self-portraits and sensual nudes demonstrate her synthesis of traditional painting style and modern subject matter in the Berlin period.

Laserstein’s current reputation as a great realist has assigned her an undisputed place in the 20th-century art history. Striking portraits, self-portraits and sensual nudes demonstrate her synthesis of traditional painting style and modern subject matter in the Berlin period.