Elfriede Lohse-Wachter Paintings

Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler (1899–1967) was a German painter known for her expressive works in the New Objectivity and Expressionism movements. Born in Dresden, she attended the Dresden School of Arts and Crafts, where her talent quickly became evident. She married fellow artist Kurt Lohse, but the marriage was troubled and eventually fell apart, partly due to her mental health struggles.

During the 1920s, Lohse-Wächtler's work gained recognition. She was associated with the Dresden Secession Group 1919 and later with the Association of Revolutionary Visual Artists. Her paintings from this period often depicted the lives of the marginalized, with a focus on the plight of women in society. She had a unique style that incorporated elements of caricature, imbuing her subjects with a sense of emotional depth and social commentary.

Unfortunately, Lohse-Wächtler's career was derailed by the rise of the Nazi regime. Her art was deemed 'degenerate,' and she was barred from exhibiting. Her personal life deteriorated alongside her professional struggles, and she was forcibly sterilized in 1935 under the Nazi eugenics policies. In 1940, she was murdered in the Pirna-Sonnenstein euthanasia center, a victim of the Aktion T4 program, which targeted those with mental illness and other groups deemed undesirable by the regime.

Posthumously, Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler's work has been reassessed and her contribution to German modern art has been recognized. Her paintings are seen as powerful social documents and expressive works of art that reveal the turbulent times in which she lived. Exhibitions and research into her life and work have helped to restore her place in the history of art.