Hannah Höch

Hannah Höch was born on November 1, 1889, in Gotha, Germany. She studied glass design and graphic arts in Berlin before working at the Ullstein Verlag publishing house designing embroidery, lace patterns, and magazine layouts, where she mastered mass-media imagery.

Alongside Raoul Hausmann and John Heartfield, Höch pioneered photomontage—cutting, splicing, and juxtaposing printed mass-media photographs to produce biting visual satire. Her 1919 masterwork 'Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch of Germany' remains an undisputed monument of modern art.

Her work fiercely challenged societal expectations of the 'New Woman', exposing patriarchal contradictions, racism, and militarism. Branded a 'degenerate artist' by the Nazi regime, she retreated to a secluded garden cottage outside Berlin, heroically safeguarding hidden Dada archives throughout World War II.