Christian Schad (1894-1982) - Tabarin

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

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

Literature: Richter 10

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

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

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

Biography
He was a German painter and graphic artist, known as a major 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, in which he critically portrayed 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 portrait painting today.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Christian Schad again turned to printmaking, especially linocuts. During this period he spent time 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 print techniques. These works mark a late but significant expansion of his artistic activity.