Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich ・ 120cm x 90cm ・ Acrylic on Canvas

“It is not an easy decision to change your nationality, even if you despise the opinions and methods that your birthplace suddenly endorses. Even if you try to convince yourself of the contrary: to have to deny everything you learned to honor as a child makes you feel unfaithful. The love and respect for the country that welcomed you have nothing to do with it.“

„Es ist kein leichter Entschluß, seine Nationalität zu wechseln, selbst dann nicht, wenn man die Ansichten und Methoden, die das Geburtsland plötzlich gutheißt, verachtet. Auch wenn man sich das Gegenteil einzureden versucht: all das verleugnen zu müssen, was man als Kind zu ehren lernte, gibt einem das Gefühl von Treulosigkeit. Die Liebe und Achtung für das Land, das einen aufgenommen hat, haben damit nichts zu tun.“

She is considered one of the most dazzling show stars of the past century: Marie Magdalene Dietrich was born in 1901 in what is now Berlin’s Schöneberg district. Tenacious even as a child, at eleven she combined her given names to become “Marlene”. In 1922 she auditioned at the “Deutsches Theater” and received her first role in the Shakespeare play “The Taming of the Shrew”. Numerous appearances in silent films followed in the Roaring Twenties, before her international breakthrough in 1930 with “The Blue Angel”. In order to build on her success in Hollywood, she emigrated to the USA that same year. Shortly thereafter, in the drama „Morocco“, she broke away from the strict gender roles of her time. Her appearance in a tuxedo earned her an Oscar nomination for best leading actress and the so-called “Marlene trousers” revolutionized the fashion world. After numerous other Hollywood productions such as “Shanghai Express” and “Blonde Venus”, Joseph Goebbels wanted to win her over in 1936 for his propaganda films. But the actress turned him down despite very lucrative offers. Three years later she gave up her German citizenship to become an American citizen and appeared in war zones where she would rally the US troops. After the war she made a few more films but dedicated the rest of her time to the stage and caberet. On May 6, 1992, Marlene Dietrich died secluded in her apartment in Paris.