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Otto Dix

Christ at Gethsemane (Christus am Ölberge)
Now On View

Maker

Otto Dix (German, 1891-1969

Title

Christ at Gethsemane (Christus am Ölberge)

Year

1948

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

oil paint

Supports

Dimensions

102.9 x 117.2 cm (40 1/2 x 46 1/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Dr. Cynthia O. Harris and Leo O. Harris

Object Number

2015.48

Type

Exhibition History

Art and Design from 1900 to Now
Jun 04, 2022 – Sep 01, 2026

Label copy

This scene from the New Testament depicts Jesus Christ as he kneels in a garden on the night before his death. The landscape is illuminated by a terrifying winged figure representing God the Father, who offers Jesus a golden chalice filled with blood. Acknowledging but fearing his destiny, Jesus prays.

Dix employed a dark palette and broad, gestural brushstrokes in his raw depictions of European society during two world wars. Here he represents Jesus as a common man whose physical and emotional suffering reflect the inhumanity and horror of war.

-Maureen O’Brien, curator of painting and sculpture

Image use

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In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Otto Dix (German, 1891-1969
b. in Untermhaus, Germany)
Christ at Gethsemane (Christus am Ölberge), 1948
Oil on canvas mounted on plywood
102.9 x 117.2 cm (40 1/2 x 46 1/8 inches)
Gift of Dr. Cynthia O. Harris and Leo O. Harris 2015.48

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