ERNST DEUTSCH (1883-1938) 1. ADMIRALS REDOUTE. 1912. 27 1/2x36 3/4 inches, 70x93 1/4 cm. Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin. Condition B+: replaced loss in upper left corner; minor repaired tears and creases at edges. Matted and framed. Deutsch's life and artistic career (as an artist, architect, art director and movie costume designer) went through several very pronounced stages. Born in Vienna and self-taught, Deutsch began work in Berlin, where he joined the prestigious firm of Hollerbaum and Schmidt. After World War I he returned to Vienna where he changed his name to Dryden. Ultimately, he fled Europe in the face of the growing Nazi threat before the Second World War, and settled in Hollywood, California. During his Berlin years Deutsch's elegant, sometimes decadent, style was lighter, softer, less serious and stiff then the work of his contemporaries in Berlin. This poster of a slim and sophisticated brunette (surely not as innocent as she looks) under attack by two revelers, presents one of the most ironic, satirical and decadent images ever made for a night club. The top-hatted drunkard on her right is grabbing her with his gloved hands, while the fat one on her left is trying to steal a kiss, all beneath some lifeless streamers which add to the pathetic nature of their attempts. The Admirals Redoute management certainly had a good, self-deprecating sense of humor! DFP-III 526, Maitres 1900 p. 164.
