Artwork Description:
THE PRICE OF THIS ETCHING INCLUDES A BLACK PAINTED WOOD FRAME WITH GLASS AND ACID FREE MAT. THE FRAME MEASURES FOURTEEN INCHES HIGH BY ELEVEN INCHES WIDE. THE WHITE MAT CONTAINS A BLACK INNER TRIMMED EDGE. THE ARTWORK ARRIVES WIRED AND READY TO HANG ON YOUR WALL. A WALL HOOK AND NAIL ARE ALSO INCLUDED. This is print number ONE of Edition Four the detail image shows print number THREE from the same edition.
The three studio techniques of aquatint, intaglio, and drypoint were employed to create this original, hand printed etching,ANITA BERBER , by Jerry Di Falco. Its title refers to the German Cabaret dancer and performance artist, Anita Berber, born in Dresden on June 10, 1899 - died in 1928. Di Falco’s work on paper is part of his “TEARS FOR BERLIN” series, a collection of etchings devoted to The German Cabaret Art Movement of the 1920-1933. Di Falco executed this etching on a zinc etching plate, four inches wide by five inches high, or 10.160cm by 12.700cm. The etching paper was Stonehenge Black. The black painted wood and glass frame with archival mat is 9 inches wide by 12 inches high, or 27.94cm by 35.560cm.
This etching is part of a portfolio of FIVE EDITIONS. Moreover, the editions are limited to only five etchings each. This particular etching from the FORTH EDITION used a unique blend of five colors of oil-base etching inks.
The artist printed and published all etching editions at the Center for Works on Paper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on The Fleisher Art Campus associated with The Philadelphia Museum of Art. The photo Di Falco used for this work was shot by the German fashion photographer, Madame D’Oraa. k. a. Dora Kallumusin 1922. HISTORY INFORMATION --Berlin was the fundamental world center during this period for avant-garde and Dadaist performance art. The political satire inherent in the scripts added an artistic edge to the entertainment aspects of CABARET. In addition, Anita Berber was one of Germany’s most infamous dancers. She loved cocaine and was frequented nightspots with her pet monkey. Berber gained a reputation for her nude performances, lesbian affairs, and S M stage themes. Her second marriage to Dadaist cabaret artist, Sebastian Droste, caused both scandal and heartache. The marriage ended after Droste stole her jewels to finance his relocation to New York City.
In 1924, Berber attend a performance by American dancer Henri Chatin-Hoffman in Berlin. They fell in love and married two weeks later. In October 1925, the duo began a nationwide tour of a collaborative production, and it was whilst they were in Düsseldorf that the artist Otto Dix painted his notorious portrait of Berber. In the summer of 1926, Anita and Henri were on tour with their new production “Dances of Sex and Ecstasy”. Whilst in Zagreb, Anita publicly insulted the King of Yugoslavia and was imprisoned for six weeks. After this, both Anita and Henri returned to Berlin with no money and returned to the cabaret circuit.