What art movement was Otto Mueller part of?

Otto Mueller joined Die Brücke in 1910, a German Expressionist group based in Dresden. He remained close with fellow members after the group dissolved in 1913.

Where is this painting located?

Hockende Mädchen is currently in a private collection. Many of Mueller's works were seized by the Nazis in 1937 as part of their campaign against modern art.

What subjects did Otto Mueller typically paint?

Mueller focused on female nudes and Romani women, earning him the nickname "Gypsy Mueller." His work emphasized the harmony between humans and nature.

Where Is Hockende Mädchen? See It at Private Collection

Otto Mueller executed this painting of crouching girls as part of his lifelong exploration of the female nude in natural settings. Mueller was a member of Die Brücke, the Dresden-based group of Expressionist artists that included Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Heckel. His style emphasized harmonious simplification of form, color, and contour.

Mueller preferred working in distemper on coarse canvas, which gave his paintings a distinctive matte surface. He greatly admired Egyptian art and sought to achieve similar clean, simple lines in his own work. His nickname "Gypsy Mueller" came from his frequent depictions of Romani women and possibly from his own heritage, as his mother may have been Romani.

It now hangs in a private collection. In 1937, the Nazis seized 357 of Mueller's works from German museums, declaring them "degenerate art." His focus on the unity between humans and nature, often expressed through figures in landscapes, made his work particularly targeted by the regime's cultural policies.