George Grosz (1893-1959)

Ralph Jentsch has confirmed the authenticity of this work.

Grosz roamed New York City day and night when he moved from Berlin in 1933, filling his sketchbooks with urban observations. In the evening, back in his small hotel room, he would create large, finished versions of these scenes, such as the present work. Identified by the server’s hat as a scene unfolding in the fast-food chain restaurant “Nedicks,” the socio-economically diverse customers all crowd around a counter to eat lunch. This was and in many ways still is a quintessentially New York moment.