Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 18 works by Hannah Höch in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Hannah Höch's most famous painting is Von oben (1927). Untitled (From an Ethnographic Museum) (1930) and Creatures (1927) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 18 works by Hannah Höch in our catalog, the gallery presents the 18 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
In "Von oben" by Hannah Höch, the composition is organized into two distinct horizontal sections that create a fragmented and surreal arrangement. The upper portion of the work features human figures rendered in a whimsical, almost cartoonish manner. Two oversized heads occupy this space, positioned as if they are lounging along a horizontal line that bisects the image. One head is depicted wearing a hat and smoking a pipe, while…
The gaze falls upon Untitled (From an Ethnographic Museum), a striking photomontage that emerges from the fractured reality of the early twentieth century. Created by the German Dada artist Hannah Höch, this work exists as a deliberate assembly of fragments. It is a piece that refuses to remain whole, instead choosing to exist through the collision of disparate parts. The composition feels immediate, as if the viewer has stumbled upon…
(Geschöpfe) is an oil on canvas painting by the German artist Hannah Höch. Executed between 1926 and 1929, the work represents a significant departure from the artist's well-known photomontages, utilizing a painterly approach to explore themes of existence and transformation.
The 2 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Hannah Höch | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Germanisches Nationalmuseum |
Nuremberg | 4 | Creatures, Man and Machine, Resignation |
 Berlinische Galerie |
Berlin | 1 | German Girl |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
In "Von oben" by Hannah Höch, the composition is organized into two distinct horizontal sections that create a fragmented and surreal arrangement. The upper portion of the work features human figures rendered in a whimsical, almost cartoonish manner. Two oversized heads occupy this space, positioned as if they are lounging along a horizontal line that bisects the image. One head is depicted wearing a hat and smoking a pipe, while…
The gaze falls upon Untitled (From an Ethnographic Museum), a striking photomontage that emerges from the fractured reality of the early twentieth century. Created by the German Dada artist Hannah Höch, this work exists as a deliberate assembly of fragments. It is a piece that refuses to remain whole, instead choosing to exist through the collision of disparate parts. The composition feels immediate, as if the viewer has stumbled upon…
Von oben (1927). Untitled (From an Ethnographic Museum) (1930) and Creatures (1927) come next.
38 years old: Von oben dates from 1927, and Hannah Höch was born in 1889.
Von oben, Untitled (From an Ethnographic Museum), Creatures, Study for Man and Machine, Man and Machine, Resignation, German Girl, Indian Dancer: From an Ethnographic Museum, Made for a Party and Little Sun. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 18 works by Hannah Höch, dated from 1917 to 1970.
Mostly in Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg) and Berlinische Galerie (Berlin). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1920s: 8 of the 18 works on this page were made then, Von oben among them.
On this page, the earliest is The Prophet Matthew (Der Prophet Matthäus) (plate, loose leaf) from the periodical Das Kunstblatt, vol. 1, no. 4 (Apr 1917) (1917) and the latest Angst (1970).
Collage, for 2 of the 18 works on this page.
Dadaism, judging by the originals on this page.
Creatures, Man and Machine and Resignation: the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg holds 4 of the works on this page.
In the fractured landscape of post-World War I Germany, where the old certainties of the imperial era had been violently dismantled, a new kind of art emerged from the debris. At the heart of this aesthetic revolution stood Hannah Höch, a visionary who did not merely paint or sculpt, but reconstructed reality itself. Born Anna Therese Johanne Höch in 1889 in Gotha, her early life was shaped by the quiet domesticity of familial duty, yet her spirit was destined for the radical avant-garde. While her initial training in graphic arts and glass design in Berlin was partially a concession to her father’s wishes, it provided her with the precise technical mastery required for her most profound contribution to art history: the invention and perfection of photomontage.
As the Weimar Republic struggled through political upheaval and social transformation, Höch became a central, albeit often overlooked, figure in the Berlin Dada movement. Alongside collaborators like Raoul Hausmann, she embraced the chaotic energy of the era, rejecting traditional fine art in favor of a medium that utilized the very tools of modern mass media. By cutting, tearing, and reassembling photographs from newspapers and magazines, she created works that mirrored the fragmented, dizzying experience of urban life. Her technique was more than a stylistic choice; it was a political act. Through the meticulous arrangement of disparate images, she could expose the contradictions of a society in flux, stripping away the polished veneer of propaganda to reveal the raw, often jarring truths beneath.
Perhaps the most enduring dimension of Höch’s work is her profound interrogation of gender roles and identity. During a period when the concept of the "New Woman"*—an energetic, professional, and increasingly independent female figure—was being debated in every corner of German society, Höch used her scissors to dissect these very constructs. Her montages often featured a surreal juxtaposition of masculine and feminine attributes, creating androgynine figures that challenged the rigid binaries of the time. She explored the tension between biological reality and the media-constructed image, using the fragmented body as a metaphor for the fractured identity of women navigating a patriarchal world.
Her artistic development was characterized by an uncanny ability to blend political critique with a deeply personal exploration of femininity. In masterpieces such as "Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch of Germany," she navigated the complex intersections of class, gender, and politics. Her work did not merely reflect the era; it actively participated in the dismantling of the "fable" of the domestic woman. By repurposing the imagery used to market femininity, she reclaimed agency, turning the tools of mass consumption into instruments of liberation.
The historical significance of Hannah Höch extends far beyond the borders of the Dada movement. She laid the groundwork for much of the contemporary art that followed, influencing everything from Surrealism to Pop Art and even modern digital collage. Her ability to find meaning in the discarded and the fragmented remains a powerful testament to the resilience of the human creative spirit. As we look back on her career, several key elements define her monumental impact:
Though she lived through the dark shadows of the subsequent decades, including the rise of National Socialism which suppressed much of the avant-garde, Höch’s voice remained an essential part of the artistic canon. She remains a symbol of resistance and reinvention, reminding us that even from the most broken pieces, a new and profound truth can be assembled.
