The ''Portrait of the Dancer Anita Berber'' (german: Porträt der Tänzerin Anita Berber) is a painting executed by German painter

Otto Dix Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix (; 2 December 1891 – 25 July 1969) was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. Along with Geor ...

in 1925. The painting was done with oil and tempera on plywood. It has the dimensions of 120 by 65 cm. It represents the dancer

Anita Berber Anita Berber (10 June 1899 – 10 November 1928) was a German dancer, actress, and writer who was the subject of an Otto Dix painting. She lived during the time of the Weimar Republic. Early life Born in Leipzig to Felix Berber, First Violinist ...

, a celebrity of

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, known for her scandalous performances and licentious lyfestyle, and its at the collection of the Sammlung Landesbank

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

in loan to the

Kunstmuseum Stuttgart The Kunstmuseum Stuttgart is a contemporary and modern art museum in Stuttgart, Germany, built and opened in 2005. Description The cubic museum building with 5000 m2 of display space was designed by Berlin architects Hascher and Jehle. During ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Description

Dix knew Berber personally, having attended several of her live performances. Although Berber posed for this portrait in the nude, the artist Otto Dix decided to depict her on a red background, wearing a long red dress. The dress covers almost her entire body. She looks to her left, while striking a vamp-like pose, with the right hand in front of her and her left hand resting on her hip. Her hair is red too, while she wears a very thick white makeup, which gives her face a mask-like appearance. Her image emphasizes her sexuality and her status as a sexual icon of her time.Anita Berber: Imaging a Weimar Performance Artist, JSTOR
/ref> The painting was part of the two stamps edition by

Deutsche Post The Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL Group, is a German multinational package delivery and supply chain management company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is one of the world's largest courier companies. T ...

to commemorate the centennial of the birth of

in 1991.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait of the Dancer Anita Berber 1925 paintings Portraits by Otto Dix Portraits of women