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Homage to the Square by Josef Albers
Homage to the Square: Apparition by Josef Albers
Scene in Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt
The War by Otto Dix
Blue and Violet Flowers by Emil Nolde
Figure and Flowers by Emil Nolde
Native Americans on Horses by August Macke
Portrait of Ferdinand I, duke of Parma by Johann Zoffany
For Greater Berlin by Käthe Kollwitz
Memorial for Karl Liebknecht by Käthe Kollwitz
Mountain Graveyard by Kurt Schwitters
Wounded Amazon by Franz von Stuck

German Artists

181 artists

🇩🇪 Back to Discover

German art history is complex, reflecting the country's fragmented political and religious landscape. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw both devastation and brilliance, with the Thirty Years' War disrupting cultural movements, followed by a flowering of the arts during the Rococo period. Gothic painting flourished in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, particularly in Cologne and Westphalia. More recently, German artists challenged postwar abstraction, developing new approaches to figuration and abstraction.

Key Movements

12 movements shaped german art.

Expressionism 1905–1930 (19)Realism 1840–1880 (6)Modernism 1860–1970 (5)Contemporary 1970–present (5)Romanticism 1780–1850 (4)Art Nouveau 1890–1910 (4)Impressionism 1860–1890 (4)Dada 1916–1924 (3)Symbolism 1880–1910 (2)

Key Artists

Käthe Kollwitz

Käthe Kollwitz

1867–1945 · German

Albert Bierstadt

Albert Bierstadt

1830–1902 · German

Josef Albers

Josef Albers

1888–1976 · German

Otto Dix

Otto Dix

1891–1969 · German

Franz Marc

Franz Marc

1880–1916 · German

Kurt Schwitters

Kurt Schwitters

1887–1948 · German

Ernst Haeckel

Ernst Haeckel

1834–1919 · German

Emil Nolde

Emil Nolde

1867–1956 · German

Key Ideas

  • Gothic Painting

    During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Gothic painting saw significant activity in various regions. Cologne and Westphalia became important centres for artistic production during this period.

  • Baroque and Rococo Eras

    Despite the disruption of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw a flowering of the arts in Germany. The figurative arts provided a splendid frame for Rococo culture.

  • Postwar Figuration

    After World War II, German artists challenged the prevailing abstract styles. They developed new approaches to figuration, which were initially met with critical disapproval.

  • New Objectivity

    Emerging after World War I, New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) offered a cynical and direct view of society. Artists such as Christian Schad captured the disillusionment and moral decay of the Weimar Republic.

Museums in Germany

78 museums.

Berlin (12)

Munich (6)

Düsseldorf (4)

Dresden (5)

Cologne (3)

Hanover (3)

Potsdam (4)

Hamburg (3)

Frankfurt (2)

Stuttgart (2)

Kassel (1)

Leipzig (1)

Carinhall (1)

Münster (1)

Weimar (2)

Essen (1)

Bremen (1)

Nuremberg (1)

Karlsruhe (1)

Mannheim (1)

Remagen (1)

Wiesbaden (1)

Neuss (1)

Brunswick (1)

Starnberg (1)

Baden-Baden (1)

Krefeld (1)

Greifswald (1)

Pommersfelden (1)

Gera (1)

Lübeck (1)

Schweinfurt (1)

Duisburg (1)

Kochel (1)

Mülheim an der Ruhr (1)

Dortmund (1)

Wuppertal (1)

Halle (Saale) (1)

Ludwigshafen (1)

Erfurt (1)

Seebüll (1)

Saarbrücken (1)

Marl (1)

All German Artists

181 artists.

Showing the first 80 of 181 artists, alphabetically.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is Germany's greatest contribution to art?
    Germany made a significant contribution to Gothic painting during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Centres like Cologne and Westphalia saw considerable artistic activity, producing work of lasting importance.
  • Who are the most important German artists to know?
    Several German artists have achieved international recognition, including Adolph de Meyer, known for his pictorialist photography. Christian Schad is another important figure, associated with the New Objectivity movement.
  • Which German artist is underappreciated?
    Carl Buchheister, whose career spanned both Dada and abstract art, remains somewhat outside the mainstream. His experimental approach and contributions to non-objective art deserve greater recognition.
  • When did Germany develop a distinctive national style?
    While regional styles existed earlier, a more unified German artistic identity emerged during the Gothic period (14th-16th centuries). Artists across different regions began to share stylistic traits, contributing to a recognisable German aesthetic.

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