The Cinematic Life Of John Heartfield – Famous Political Artist & Graphic Design Genius

“A photograph can, by the addition of an unimportant spot of color, become a photomontage, a work of art…”

Famous Political Artist John Heartfield

This John Heartfield Life Chronology covers important years and events. It traces his evolution from a young painter of oil landscapes to one of the most influential and famous political artists in history.

The chronology of the life of famous political artist John Heartfield provides insight into why he was drawn to Dada and his seminal work with George Grosz. It helps explain why he risked his life to rise to number-five on The Gestapo’s Most Wanted List for his “art as a weapon” against the Nazis and fascist lies. It chronicles how communism, the political system that attracted him and so many other young idealist artists in the early twentieth century, turned on him in his final years.

The John Heartfield life story was cinematic in scope. He was a great friend and collaborator with many of the most famous artists of the twentieth century.

Art scholars, visitors, and this website’s editors have been invaluable in creating The John Heartfield Life Chronology.

The curator has grouped years in this chronology to provide visitors with a sense of the major stages in John Heartfield’s life and work. The John Heartfield Life Chronology always adds new material. So come back often. Please write to the curator if you wish to comment or add to it.