UNKNOWN WATERCOLORS BY OTTO DIX

Their arresting blaze of colors is unforgettable, and cannot be captured by reproduction. Otto Dix’s large watercolors

are among the most sensual works of the Neue Sachlichkeit. Now, several previously unknown Dix watercolors have been

rediscovered. They were turned up by the Duesseldorf gallery owners Peter Barth and Herbert Remmert while working on an

exhibition to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Dix’s birth in 1891. A small sensation in the world of art history.

In the 1920s Dix established his reputation as an enfant terrible, and at the same time as a virtuoso of watercolor

technique, known for masterful wet-on-wet depictions of prostitutes, sailors, invalids and other marginal figures of

contemporary society. After studying in Dresden, the artist settled in Duesseldorf in 1922, where he maintained an

atelier and met the art dealer Johanna Ey and Dr. Hans Koch, who was soon to become one of his major patrons.

It did not seem bother Koch that Dix stole his wife in the year that he arrived in Duesseldorf. “If you are going to

take her away from me, then do it properly,” Koch said, or something along those lines. Dix married his wife Martha in

1923 and they remained together until his death in 1969. The children from Martha’s marriage to Dr. Koch, Martin and

Hana Koch, grew up with their father.

Herbert Remmert: We found the watercolors a few weeks ago in the estate of Martha Koch’s daughter. We had been in touch

with her, Hana Koch, and her daughter since 1994, when we held an exhibition about Dr. Hans Koch, who in addition to his

medical practice was also an art collector and dealer. He possessed an important collection, including works by Paul Klee

and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Since 1917, Koch was also curator of Das Graphische Kabinett von Bergh & Co., where he showed

works by Erich Heckel, Emil Nolde and many other artists.

We advised Hana Koch and her daughter that we were planning an exhibition for Otto Dix’s 120th birthday and while we

were doing our research there we found these previously unknown watercolors, and also some drawings came to light.

How many watercolors are we talking about and how do they fit in from an art historical point of view?

Specifically, we are talking about three important watercolors from Dix’s years in Duesseldorf, from 1922 and 1923. The

titles of the works are Soubrette, Nächtens and Strich III. The period in which they were produced is deemed the most

important for Dix’s watercolors and was his most productive time. Furthermore, a preparatory work, in watercolor, was

found for an important oil painting, Bildnis des Kunsthändlers Alfred Flechtheim, which can today be found in the Neue

Nationalgalerie in Berlin.