This one-of-a-kind book brings the work of German Expressionist artist Friedrich Karl Gotsch (1900–1984) to a larger, well-deserved audience. Gotsch, whose paintings are in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, trained at the Dresden School of Fine Arts in the early 1920s and was inspired by the works of Oskar Kokoschka and Edvard Munch. While his early paintings follow a straightforward Expressionist style, he truly came into his own after World War II, when his work became distinct and easily recognizable: The energy, contrasting primary colors, vivid outlines, and free brushwork combine to produce powerful, spellbinding images. In addition to stunning color reproductions of his work, this book includes essays on Gotsch’s art and life, illuminating the artist’s creative development and the cultural milieu and influences that inspired him.

Chantal Bartolini is an art historian based in Germany. Marion Leuba is the curator of the Beaune museums (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Musée Marey, and Musée du Vin de Bourgogne) in France.