Clichés have a stale aftertaste in all artistic media and are often the subject of ridicule. However, those at the forefront of clichés are great artists. They were copied so often that a cliché developed in the first place. Like Goethe, who was the first to rhyme Herz (heart) with Schmerz (pain), Josephine Baker was brilliant and much-copied, a dancer and singer of the 1920s and 1930s. Her unique dance style, her sensual, dramatic and humorous expression on stage and on screen made her the first black superstar. New and exciting at the time, her dancing in a banana skirt is certainly questionable today. As an artist of her time, however, Baker was a genius who fascinated and thrilled the masses in a way never seen before – and in some cases deeply provoked them. She was the epitome of the emancipated woman of the 1920s, but in Germany, where she was reviled as a »half-monkey«, her performances were banned. In Vienna, for example, special services were held on the occasion of her performances in 1928 to atone for the collective moral offense. The Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin examines the facets of Baker's work in the exhibition Josephine Baker. Icon in Motion, which can be seen from January 26 to April 28. Baker's performances as an actress, which have otherwise received little attention, will be honored here for the first time on a grand scale.
By 1927, Josephine Baker (1906-1975) had had enough of show business and her star image. She wanted to work for a few more years and then retire. In fact, apart from a five-year break, she performed until shortly before her death. During the Second World War, she was a member of the Resistance and, as the holder of a pilot's license, was part of the French Air Force. With her fifth husband, she adopted twelve children from all over the world from 1947, whom she described as a »rainbow family«. In 2021, Baker was inducted into the Paris Panthéon. She was the first Black woman to receive this honor.
