The artwork, titled “The Meaning of Geneva, Peace Cannot Live Where Greed Capital Exists!” is a photomontage created by the artist John Heartfield in 1932. It belongs to the Dada art movement and falls under the genre of illustration. This significant piece is housed at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, USA.
The artwork poignantly depicts a white dove, symbolizing peace, impaled on a bayonet with the backdrop of a grand neoclassical building. Feathers scatter around the dove, enhancing the tragic and powerful imagery of the scene. The building in the background is the League of Nations headquarters, and the white cross atop it has been transformed into a swastika, symbolizing the creeping influence of fascism. This masterful photomontage by Heartfield is a critical commentary on the relationship between peace, fascism, and the damaging effects of greed and capital within geopolitical landscapes.
