oeuvre / complete works
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complete works
The sum of all works that an artist, writer, or composer has created over the course of their life.
Das Museum widmet dem Gesamtwerk der Malerin eine große Retrospektive.
The museum is dedicating a major retrospective to the painter's complete works.
The word is a clear compound of 'gesamt' (whole, complete) and 'das Werk' (the work, the creative output). It therefore refers to the totality of all works by one person.
Das Gesamtwerk des Architekten umfasst mehr als 50 Gebäude.
The architect's complete works include more than 50 buildings.
To name the creator, the genitive is usually used. The structure is: 'das Gesamtwerk' (the complete works) + genitive of the name or person.
Ich studiere das Gesamtwerk Franz Kafkas.
I am studying the complete works of Franz Kafka.
This word belongs to technical and educated language. You find it mainly in texts about art, literature, music, or science.
In seiner Dissertation analysiert er das filmische Gesamtwerk von Wim Wenders.
In his dissertation, he analyzes the complete cinematic works of Wim Wenders.
to manage / create
Schaffen refers here to the creative activity or process through which works come into being. The Gesamtwerk, by contrast, means the sum of all the works by an artist or writer. For the creation of an individual work, schaffen is the appropriate term; for an overview of the entire body of work, use Gesamtwerk.
Das Gesamtwerk des Schriftstellers umfasst Romane, Gedichte und Essays.
The writer's complete works include novels, poems, and essays.
Der Schriftsteller schuf in diesem Jahr einen neuen Roman.
The writer created a new novel this year.
