Heinrich Zille

As a genuine Berlin original, »Pinselheinrich« depicted the milieu of Berlin's working-class neighbourhoods and backyards in a socially critical, humorous and sympathetic manner. He drew children with great dedication, combined his drawings with rough dialogues in typical dialect and did not shy away from the hearty or even the dirty, which is impressively demonstrated by series of pictures that can certainly be described as pornographic, such as the »Hurengespraeche« (Conversations with whores).

  • Stillende Mutter
  • Herbst
  • Weihnachtsstimmung
  • Spaziergänger II
  • Spaziergänger I
  • Ringkampf in der Schaubude
  • Im Arbeiterviertel
  • Zur Mutter Erde
  • Sitzender Mädchenakt
  • In der Kneipe
  • Stehendes Mädchen mit Haarschleife und Kind auf dem Arm
  • Bei Tübbecke in Stralow 1875
Heinrich Zille

curriculum vitae

1858 born in Radeburg near Dresden
1861 Family relocates to Dresden
1868-1875 After the family settles in Berlin first apprenticeship with the stone draughtsman Fritz Hecht
also studies under Theodor Hosemann and Carl Domschke at the Koenigliche Kunstschule in Berlin
1875-1877 Worked as a commercial artist and retoucher, including as a trainee at the Lithografieanstalt Winckelmann & Soehne, where he specialised in numerous printing techniques
1877-1880 Assistant for photographic retouching at the Photographische Gesellschaft Berlin at Doenhoffplatz
1880-1882 Military service as a grenadier in the Leib-Grenadier-Regiment in Frankfurt (Oder) and as a guard soldier in the Sonnenburg prison
1882 Dismissal from the military and re-employment at the Photographische Gesellschaf
1883 Marriage to Hulda Frieske in Fuerstenwalde, children Margarete (1884), Hans (1888) and Walther (1891)
1892 Last move to a three-room flat at Sophie-Charlotten-Straße 88 in Berlin-Charlottenburg
1903 Member of the recently founded Berlin Secession
Starts collaboration on the Munich satirical magazine »Simplicissimus«, from 1905 illustrations for »Jugend« and »Lustige Blaetter«
1906 Member of the Deutscher Kuenstlerbund (DKB)
1907 Fired from the Photographische Gesellschaft after 30 years because of his socially critical graphics
has since worked as a self-employed graphic artist, draughtsman and illustrator
1908 First edition of his popular milieu drawings with »Kinder der Straße« and »Berliner Rangen« in the series Künstlerhefte published by Dr Eysler & Co. Berlin
1909 Success of the portfolio »Zwoelf Kuenstlerdrucke« with heliogravures of hand drawings and etchings makes him nationally known
1910 Awarded the Menzel Prize by the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung
1913 Leaves the Berlin Secession and founds the Freie Secession together with his long-time protégé Max Liebermann
1914 Edition of the celebrated illustrated book »Mein Milljoeh«
1921 Acquisition of drawings by the Berliner Nationalgalerie
1924 Nomination as professor and member of the Preußische Akademie der Kuenste
1928 Retrospective »Zilles Werdegang« at the Maerkisches Museum Berlin