City of Workers

"City of Workers" also known as "Working-Class City" is a compelling oil painting on canvas by Hans Baluschek, a notable Berlin Secessionist painter, completed in 1920. This artwork, measuring 48.44 × 36.25 inches, is part of the collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The painting vividly portrays a gritty, working-class neighborhood in Berlin, enveloped in industrial smoke. Dimly lit windows penetrate the haze, and workers' homes create a somber backdrop. In the foreground, train tracks and a railway signal light enhance the industrial atmosphere, while a solitary figure stands on a train car, gazing over the city.

Baluschek completed this piece just two years after World War I, and his evocative brushwork reflects the influence of German Expressionism while remaining true to his Realist roots. "City of Workers" exemplifies Baluschek's style, blending beauty and despair in a cityscape that critiques the political and social challenges faced by ordinary people. An advocate for workers' rights and a member of the Social Democratic Party, Baluschek used his art to make powerful social statements.

The painting's journey to the Milwaukee Art Museum is notably intriguing. It was once owned by Prince Wilhelm Victor of Prussia and later passed through various hands in Rotterdam and The Hague. In 2006, it was sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam for a record 114,000 euros (US$151,506) to an American private collector. The Milwaukee Art Museum acquired it in October 2010, thanks to funding from Avis Martin Heller. Initially, the painting was displayed in Gallery 12 alongside other German Expressionist works but was removed from display in 2014.