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Otto Dix

Christ at Gethsemane (Christus am Ölberge)
Now On View

Description

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

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

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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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