Memorial plaque, former residence (1945 -1981) of Gertrude Sandmann

Gertrude Sandmann (16.10.1893 in Berlin – 06.01.1981) was a Berlin artist and women's activist.

In her paintings, she focused on women, landscapes and still lifes. She painted with chalk, charcoal and pastel - sometimes gouache. She often chose simple scenes from everyday life: Eggshells on a board, tulips, the sun in the corridor, a girl in a hat, a female nude. Her pictures are touching because of the way they are taken back. What remains are feelings of longing, sadness, loneliness and tenderness. When the intensity of the feeling is there, i.e. the impression, and thus the desire to free oneself from it again, i.e. the desire to portray the impression, the means of expression (the technique) is also found. If the impression was strong enough, the impulse leads the right way. Here too:  Nicht Schein – sondern sein!“ (from her unpublished diaries).

Since the 1960s, Gertrude Sandmann has supported many projects of the autonomous women's movement in West Berlin. Among other things, she was a founding member of Gruppe L 74, a group that represented the concerns of older lesbian women.

For three years, her illustration „Liebende“ was the cover picture of the magazine „Unsere kleine Zeitschrift“. The few strokes of the lovers can also be seen on the memorial stone (see photo). The memorial stone at the Old St. Matthäus Cemetery in Berlin-Schöneberg, Großgörschenstraße 12  also commemorates their lifelong companion Tamara Streck. The urn grave of the two women is no longer preserved. The stone is located in the vicinity of other women's rights activists.  

Sandmann died in 1981 after a long, serious illness. She survived the National Socialist era in various hiding places in Berlin.

This entry was created as part of the exhibition "Defiance - Jewish Women and Design in the Modern Era“ at the Jewish Museum Berlin (July 11 to November 23, 2025). Further information about the exhibition can be found HERE and in the links below.