Germany
As Gross never succeeded in adjusting to
life in America, he decided to return to
Germany. In 1956 he had an exhibition of
his work in the Town House in
Freudenstadt where it was noted that the
subtlety and delicacy of the sculptures and
charcoal drawings conveyed the impact of
the war and the post war period. After
Freudenstadt the exhibition moved to the
Galerie Wasmuth in Berlin where a review
in the Telegraf on 13 January 1957 noted
the resemblance of some of his paintings to
stained glass windows which gave an
impression of serene solemnity. The
colours and shapes were perceived as
typical of early German Expressionist
artists. A further review which appeared in
the Berlin newspaper Der Kurier was
entitled ‘Mystische Versponnenheit’
(mystical eccentricity): the reviewer
concluding that the works exhibited bore
the hallmark of a visionary poet who was
able to create work of an unorthodox but
exciting nature. This period in Germany
was important for Gross as it was when he
gained his divorce from Hildegarde Rath.
He later married Trude Sand, a journalist
who had been a member of his circle of
friends in Berlin prior to his departure to