On the Trail of Otto Greiner: The Fate of a Lost Drawing

“Standing Male Nude From the Back, with a Smaller Sketch,” 1892, Otto Greiner. Kupferstich-Kabinett Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Speakers: Dr. Nancy Um, Associate Director of Research and Knowledge Creation, Getty Research Institute, and Dr. Steven Zucker, Smarthistory

This drawing of a male nude is a stunning anatomical study that also reveals a fascinating history of loss and recovery spanning the past two centuries.

Produced in 1892 by the German artist Otto Greiner, it came into the collection of what is today the Kupferstich-Kabinett (Museum of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs) in Dresden, Germany. It remained there until World War II, when it was removed from the museum for protection to Weesenstein Castle outside the city. After the war, when the museum’s collections were brought back to Dresden, it was discovered that some artworks were missing—including this one.