“Fritz Ascher: Expressionist”
Introductory Film about the life and work of the artist Fritz Ascher (Berlin, 1893-1970). 

Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized and Banned Art, New York 2019. Production: Dan Stern. Voice Narration: Chris Okawa; Voice Poems: Lutz Rath; Music: BenSound.
©2019 Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized and Banned Art; Image rights with owners; Art and Photos by Fritz Ascher: Photos Malcom Varon ©2019 Bianca Stock

A Welcome and Introduction to “Fritz Ascher: Themes and Variations” from Rachel Stern, Director and CEO of the Fritz Ascher Society.

Quick Notes on “Fritz Ascher: Themes and Variations,” from Art Historian and Exhibition Curator, Elizabeth Berkowitz.

This digital exhibition includes important examples from the oeuvre of the German Jewish Expressionist artist Fritz Ascher (1893-1970). Ascher’s career extended from prior to the First World War until the late 1960s. However, Ascher’s artistic trajectory was interrupted due to persecution under National Socialism, and he spent much of the Second World War in hiding, concealed in a family friend’s basement. Ascher’s work consequently encompasses both the vibrant artistic scene in early-20th-century Germany, as well as the trauma and aesthetic shifts consequent of Ascher’s persecution and deprivations during the twelve years of the Nazi regime.

These selected works are representative not only of critical moments in Ascher’s personal and artistic development, but also of key themes that occupied Ascher’s attention throughout his career. Variations in certain ideas, motifs, and subjects in Ascher’s work betray the traumatic impact of Nazi oppression as much as they equally speak to Ascher’s personal and artistic growth over time. Similarly, Ascher’s persistent affection for particular subjects provides insight into Ascher’s fortitude as a human being: an individual who, even in the most dire of circumstances, continued to use music, poetry, and theatrical paradigms as lenses through which to engage with the world.

Fritz Ascher: Themes and Variations

Explore Further

Early-20th-Century Berlin

Expressionism

Tears of a Clown

Jewish Identity

in Early-20th-Century Berlin

Ideological Color

Religious Representation

Music

Art and Poetry:

the Inner Self

Trauma

and Resilience

Landscapes

All Fritz Ascher Images © Bianca Stock.