Carl Grossberg portrayed himself in a painting only once: in 1928, at a time when his career had reached a peak. The picture is programmatic. It shows Grossberg as a painter of industry and technology. And the fine brush in his right hand makes it clear that he is concerned with the highest precision. In terms of composition, the painting alludes to one of the most famous self-portraits in art history: Albrecht Dürer's “Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight” (1500).
Grossberg's “Self-Portrait” can be placed alongside the large-scale project “People of the 20th Century”, which photographer August Sander had been working on since the 1920s, with the aim of conveying an overall image of German society. The work was first presented in parts in 1927. In the end, it comprised hundreds of photographs. Each one characterises a specific person in their professional and social role, which the photographer reproduced objectively. Sander and Grossberg knew each other and engaged in artistic exchange.
