Die Plage

Die Plage, Harley Gaber’s expansive photomontage depicting German history from 1918 to 1945, is now touring. A website dedicated to the work has recently been launched. The immersive online experience offers an in-depth exploration of Gaber’s artistic vision and the complex historical themes embedded in his work—such as nationhood, propaganda, displacement, and the role of individuals in shaping history—while drawing powerful parallels to contemporary global issues.

 In the 1990s, while traveling through Europe, Gaber (1943–2011) visited former death camps and extensively researched German archives, photocopying images spanning the Weimar Republic through the Holocaust. Over nine years, he transformed these materials into Die Plage, an extraordinary 4,200-piece photomontage that reinterprets history through unexpected juxtapositions.

Portions of the work have been exhibited in San Diego Portland, and Los Angeles. (A current exhibition at Holocaust Museum LA is open through June 30, 2025.)

Gaber, originally recognized for his contributions to minimalist and spectral music, notably The Winds Rise in the North, transitioned to visual art in 1978. His work, including Die Plage, reflects his dual perspective as both an insider and outsider to the histories he examined. In his final years, he returned to music, composing I Saw My Mother Ascending Mt. Fuji and In Memoriam 2010, released before his death.

The immersive website, https://dieplage.org/, was designed by Fabrique, a digital design agency in Amsterdam. Themes are contextualized within key historical moments such as the 1936 Olympics, Bauhaus, Dada, Weimer, and the Holocaust.

Beyond its inherent interest, the website is meant to encourage museums to host an exhibition and/or receive a gift of some or all of the monumental work, which is owned by the Dan J. Epstein Family Foundation.

To learn more, or inquire about a loan of the Die Plage traveling exhibition please contact info@dieplage.org.