Ernst Schroeder (1928–1989)

Until 1990, the work of the North German painter and draftsman Ernst Schroeder (1928–1989) went largely unnoticed by the art world. Yet, despite his brief career, he served as a significant source of inspiration for his artistic circle in the devastated Berlin of the 1950s. Trained in the western part of the city by the former Expressionist Max Kaus, he moved to the East and, in the company of like-minded artists such as Harald Metzkes and Manfred Böttcher, developed a sparse visual world in earthy tones that was interpreted as an honest, a response by the then-young generation—one that expressed desolation and a longing for simplicity—to the ideological demands for “life-affirming” art. Among connoisseurs, Schroeder is now regarded as a cult figure: his art has attained an almost iconic status.