The career of George Grosz (Berlin, 1893 – 1959) unfolded between Dresden, Paris, Berlin and New York, where he took refuge in 1933 fleeing from Nazism. His life was highlighted by moments of creative euphoria, broad recognition and by disappointment, which Grosz described in his memoir A Little Yes and A Big No (1946).

He studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. In Berlin he frequented the School of Arts and Crafts. In this first stage, he painted and drew urban and café scenes pointing to the absurdity of modern life. He participated in the activities of the progressive left and the Dadá Club in Berlin along with Wieland Herzfelde and John Heartfield. He was one of the first members of the German Communist Party. In 1925 he participated in the New Objectivity exhibition with the group led by Otto Dix. Oil painting gradually took precedence in his work; meanwhile, as a political comic, he published vignettes in the weekly publication Simplicissimus.

Several of his works were included in the exhibition entitled Degenerate Art organized by the Nazi party. After the disappointment of his American venture, he returned to Germany in 1954 where he died five years later.