One must have a special disposition toward suicide to forget that Social Democracy was needed very urgently in the period of Spartacism and not to bear in mind that perhaps one day it will be needed even more urgently

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1998.23.1
People: John Heartfield, German (Berlin, Germany 1891 - 1968 Berlin, Germany)
Title: One must have a special disposition toward suicide to forget that Social Democracy was needed very urgently in the period of Spartacism and not to bear in mind that perhaps one day it will be needed even more urgently
Other Titles: Original Language Title: Man muss eine besondere Veranlagung zum Selbstmord haben, wenn man vergisst, dass man die Sozialdemokratie in der Periode des Spartakismus sehr dringend gebraucht hat, und nicht bedenkt, dass man sie vielleicht eines Tages noch dringlicher brauchen wird
Series/Book Title: Arbeiter Illustrierte Zeitung 10, no. 13, 1931
Classification: Prints
Work Type: print
Date: 1931
Culture: German
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/212338

Location

Location: Level 1, Room 1520, Modern and Contemporary Art, Art in Germany Between the Wars

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Physical Descriptions

Medium: Rotogravure printed on cream wove paper
Dimensions: folded sheet: 38 x 27.8 cm (14 15/16 x 10 15/16 in.)

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Standard Reference Number: Evans 1/31

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, American Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum Fund
Accession Year: 1998
Object Number: 1998.23.1
Division: Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact: am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
Permissions: The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Exhibition History

HAA 176m Berlin and Moscow, 1918/1930 Rotation #1 (S421) Spring 2011, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 01/22/2011 - 03/12/2011
Modern Art and Modernity, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2013 - 06/01/2013
32Q: 1520 Art in Germany Between the Wars (Interwar and Bauhaus), Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/21/2025 - 10/01/2025

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu

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1998.23.1: One must have a special disposition toward suicide to forget that Social Democracy was needed very urgently in the period of Spartacism and not to bear in mind that perhaps one day it will be needed even more urgently