Christian Schad (1894-1982) - Tabarin

Christian Schad (1894-1982), Passions, 1915.

Woodcut on solid Velin, 14.5 x 14.8 cm on 58.5 x 41.5 cm, titled, numbered (ed. a.), signed and dated.

Literature: Richter 10

Provenance: Private collection Berlin, from the estate of Christian Schad's widow.

Condition: Very good. Photos are part of the condition description.

The woodcut “Tabarin” by Christian Schad was created in 1917 during his early phase shaped by Expressionism and Dada. The title refers to Tabarin, the legendary French jester and buffoon of the 17th century, who stands as a symbol for theater, masquerade, and social outsider status. With its bold black-and-white contrasts and expressive formal language, Schad compresses this figure into an allegory on staging, identity, and the break with bourgeois conventions. The rare woodcut thus foreshadows central themes that would occupy the artist later in his work on the New Objectivity.

Biographical note
He was a German painter and graphic artist, known as a significant representative of the New Objectivity. He studied in Munich, lived in Switzerland and Paris, before settling in Berlin. His works are characterized by a precise, almost photorealistic painting style, through which he critically portrayed the society of the 1920s. He is also famous for his experimental “Schadographien” – early forms of the photogram technique. Schad’s art continues to influence modern portraiture today.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Christian Schad again turned to printmaking, particularly linocuts. During this period he stayed several times in Italy, including Venice, where he drew inspiration from classical art and architecture. His linocuts from this phase often depict mythological and religious motifs and reflect an intensive engagement with traditional printing techniques. These works mark a late but significant expansion of his artistic œuvre.