Neue Sachlichkeit: Seeing the World with Different Eyes

Andreas A Huyssen, Villard Professor Emeritus of German and Comparative Literature, Columbia University

This talk explores two main questions: what role did Sachlichkeit (matter-of-factness) play in pre-World War I industrial and metropolitan society, and how did it evolve in the Weimar Republic—a time defined by rapid innovation, from radio and film to new transportation, architecture, and social roles?

Photography, as a medium grounded in truth and objectivity, is often linked to Sachlichkeit. However, the resurgence of figuration in Neue Sachlichkeit painting has rarely been connected to the rise of photography in mass culture. Was the return to figuration a response to photography, transforming the photographic image in a traditional medium? Or does the “new” reflect a broader shift in perception and its impact on visual arts? The talk will explore these questions through the work of key artists, focusing on montage and portraiture.