Counted among the most renowned portraitists of the 20th Century, German artist Otto Dix (1891–1969) is best known for his unforgiving depictions of life in the Weimar Republic and the destructiveness of war. He was a key artist associated with the 1920s modern realist movement Neue Sachlichkeit (‘New Objectivity’), though his work was later branded degenerate by the Nazis. Dix’s preference for portraiture set him apart from many of his contemporaries who championed avant-garde approaches. Anguished and exploited characters fill his paintings and prints, alongside fellow artists and acquaintances. In this self-portrait, intended as a study for a black-and-white lithograph, the artist turns his head toward the viewer to reveal the tired and wrinkled face of a man in his late fifties. His eyes are small and black, providing little insight into his disposition, though their brooding gaze conveys an emotional depth and candidness common to the artist’s portraits.