Hartmut von Altrock
~ 1931 – 2014
German painter and printmaker Hartmut von Altrock, born in Breslau and later based in Berlin and the French Auvergne, is best known to the wider art world for his delicate cityscapes, intimate interiors, and flower still-lifes.
Under the pseudonym Max von Strauch, however, he created a parallel and far more daring body of work that perfectly captures the smoky, decadent atmosphere of 1920s Weimar Berlin – even though the drawings were made decades later.
Using the fictional identity of “Max von Strauch, Berlin 1924”, Altrock produced small, highly collectible portfolios of expressionist ink drawings depicting Berlin prostitutes, dominatrices, and explicit erotic scenes. The best-known series is Mein expressionistisches Berlin, 8 erotische Zeichnungen von Berliner Huren (and related sets of 6–9 drawings), printed in limited editions on heavy card stock.
These works deliberately evoke the spirit of George Grosz, Otto Dix, and the golden age of German erotic graphics.
By separating his “respectable” oeuvre from these provocative pieces with a pseudonym, Altrock both protected his mainstream career and added an extra layer of forbidden allure. Today, original Max von Strauch portfolios and individual plates are prized by collectors of vintage erotic art and Weimar-style illustration.
A true hidden gem for anyone fascinated by the darker, more libertine side of 20th-century German art.
Featured in gallery below:
- Herrschaft & Zofe (1923)
- Bauhausausstellung Weimar (1923)
3 albums/18 artworks
Latest Update: April 8, 2025 -> Created a new page for this artist (18 artworks)
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