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Prussian Archangel

work by Sachlichkeit, Schlichter and Heartfield

Quick Summary

The "Prussian Archangel" was a collaborative artwork created by German artists John Heartfield and Rudolf Schlichter. It was a dummy of a German soldier featuring a papier-mâché pig's head, which hung from the ceiling at the First International Dada Fair in Berlin in 1920. The figure's body was adorned with a sign stating, "I come from Heaven, from Heaven on high." This provocative piece drew the attention of the German military, leading to charges of defamation against Heartfield and Schlichter.1

John Heartfield was a pioneering artist known for his political photomontages and his involvement in the Berlin Dada movement. Rudolf Schlichter was also associated with the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) movement in art.1

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