In 1937 in Munich the Nazis held an art exhibition of what they called Entartete Kunst
Degenerate art
Degenerate art was a term adopted in the 1920s by the Nazi Party in Germany to describe modern art. During the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler, German modernist art, including many works of internationally renowned artists, was removed from state owned museums and banned in Nazi …
What does degenerate art exhibition stand for?
The Degenerate Art Exhibition (German: Die Ausstellung Entartete Kunst) was an art exhibition organized by Adolf Ziegler and the Nazi Party in Munich from 19 July to 30 November 1937.
What is degenerate art in Nazi Germany?
(Show more) degenerate art, German Entartete Kunst, term used by the Nazi Party in Germany to describe art that did not support the ideals of Nazism. It was also the title of a propagandistically designed Nazi exhibition of modern art held in Munich in 1937.
What was the purpose of the Entartete Kunst exhibit?
This exhibit was designed to contrast with a simultaneous exhibition of art approved by Nazi leaders made up of works executed in an academic style and dealing with typical Nazi themes of heroism and duty. After showing in Munich, “Entartete Kunst” toured to other German cities.
Where can I see Degenerate Art?
The Museum of Modern Art has now established a digital exhibit that showcases artwork from the Degenerate Art Exhibition. [10] If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.
What was considered Degenerate Art?
The term Degenerate Art ('Entarte Kunst' in German), was coined in the 1930s by the Nazis to ridicule modern art that did not fit with Hitler's vision'. Confiscated by the German government, exhibitions of 'Degenerate' art took place in cities including Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig.
What does degenerate mean in art?
Table of Contents. degenerate art, German Entartete Kunst, term used by the Nazi Party in Germany to describe art that did not support the ideals of Nazism. It was also the title of a propagandistically designed Nazi exhibition of modern art held in Munich in 1937.
What was the purpose of the Entartete Kunst exhibition?
In 1937 in Munich the Nazis held an art exhibition of what they called Entartete Kunst, or Degenerate Art. The purpose of the exhibition was to let the Germans know that some forms and pieces of art were not accepted by the "highest race", and this art is "degenerate", also called as Jewish or Bolshevistic.
What happened to the artwork from Degenerate Art?
Some of the degenerate art was sold at auction in Switzerland in 1939 and more was disposed of through private dealers. About 5,000 items were secretly burned in Berlin later that year. The Sick Child by Edvard Munch now in the Tate collection, was sold at the 1939 auction.
When did the term Degenerate Art come into use?
Degenerate art (German: Entartete Kunst) was a term adopted in the 1920s by the Nazi Party in Germany to describe modern art.
Where did degenerate come from?
late 15c., "having lost or suffered impairment to the qualities proper to the race or kind," from Latin degeneratus, past participle of degenerare "to be inferior to one's ancestors, to become unlike one's race or kind, fall from ancestral quality," used of physical as well as moral qualities, from phrase de genere, ...
Who was in the Degenerate Art exhibition?
The Degenerate Art Exhibition included 650 paintings, sculptures and prints by 112 artists, primarily German: Georg Grosz, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, Georg Kolbe, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Franz Marc, Emil Nolde, Otto Dix, Willi Baumeister, Kurt Schwitters and others.
Who was responsible for mounting the Degenerate Art exhibition in 1937?
Adolf Ziegler, head of the Reich Chamber of Visual Art, as well as Hitler's favourite painter, was in charge of a commission that toured Germany for two weeks in search of works according to criteria of 'decadence', 'weakness of character', 'mental disease', and 'racial impurity'.
What role did art play in Hitler's plan?
By propagating the theory of degenerate art, the Nazis combined their anti-Semitism with their drive to control the culture, thus consolidating public support for both campaigns.
How many people visited the Degenerate Art exhibition?
A great irony of the Nazi's modern art purge, reports Deutsche Welle, is that the “Degenerate Art” turned out to be the most-popular modern art show of all time, with over 2 million patrons visiting the exhibit on its multi-city tour.
What were the German Expressionist artists trying to convey?
German Expressionist art depicted the subjective feelings of the artists about the disillusion they saw in society as the promise of war loomed. As a result, artworks were profoundly emotive, unrestrained and shocking, as they attempted to convey ideas over the type of reality that was being experienced.
What was Hitler's favorite art?
Architecture was Hitler's favorite art form. He viewed himself as the "master builder of the Third Reich." Among the surviving examples of Nazi architecture is the Olympic stadium complex in Berlin.
What does the term degeneracy refer to?
Definition of degeneracy 1 : the state of being degenerate. 2 : the process of becoming degenerate. 3 : sexual perversion. 4 : the coding of an amino acid by more than one codon.
Who organized the Degenerate Art exhibition?
Adolf ZieglerThe Degenerate Art exhibition (German: Die Ausstellung "Entartete Kunst") was an art exhibition organized by Adolf Ziegler and the Nazi Party in Munich from 19 July to 30 November 1937.
What is a degenerate male?
People who are degenerate, or who exhibit degenerate behavior, are often set apart from others, in part out of fear that their influence will degenerate the morals of the impressionable people around them. Definitions of degenerate. a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior.
Where was the Degenerate Art exhibition?
The “Degenerate Art” exhibition was thrown together in less than three weeks. It opened in a cramped, improvised gallery space in Munich just one day after the nearby Great German Art Exhibition. Minors were not allowed inside because of the art's supposedly harmful and corruptive nature.
Why did the Nazis call art "degenerate"?
The Nazis called this art "degenerate.". They used the term to suggest that the artists' mental, physical, and moral capacities must be in decay. At the time, "degenerate" was widely used to describe criminality, immorality, and physical and mental disabilities. The campaign to define and control art was shaped by disagreements among leaders.
What was the Nazi Party's goal in 1933?
When the Nazi Party assumed control in 1933, its leaders began a campaign to align German politics, society, and culture with Nazi goals. This process of Nazification was widespread. The effort became known as Gleichschaltung, the German word for “coordination” or “synchronization.”.
How many paintings did the Nazis burn?
The regime funneled some of its foreign profits into armaments production. In 1939, the Nazis burned more than 5,000 paintings that they could not profit from in the yard of Berlin's main firehouse. Roughly one third of the most valuable confiscated artworks were ultimately sold to enrich the Nazi regime.
What art did the Nazis sell?
A year later, the Nazis passed a law legalizing the sale of confiscated art. They planned a large international art auction in Switzerland in June 1939. The Nazi regime profited greatly from the sale of confiscated works by famous artists like Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh.
What did the government do in 1933?
In spring 1933, local officials began opening so-called “chambers of horrors” and “exhibitions of shame.”. These efforts aimed to mock modern art.
What did the Nazis believe about avant-garde art?
Nazi leaders asserted that avant-garde art reflected the supposed disorder, decadence, and pacifism of Germany’s postwar democracy. The Nazis also claimed that the ambiguity of modern art contained Jewish and Communist influences that could “endanger public security and order.”.
What is degenerate art?
Degenerate art, German Entartete Kunst, term used by the Nazi Party in Germany to describe art that did not support the ideals of Nazism. It was also the title of a propagandistically designed Nazi exhibition of modern art held in Munich in 1937.
What was the purpose of the Entartete Kunst?
In 1933 this art began to be displayed in defamatory exhibits intended to disparage modern art, and to link the Jewish race with the decline of German art. The culmination of these exhibits was “ Entartete Kunst ,” which opened in Munich in July 1937 and was advertised as “culture documents of the decadent work of Bolsheviks and Jews.”.
Why were Nazi art sanctions created?
Sanctions were created to forbid the exhibition and even the creation of any contemporary art not approved by the Nazi Party; such work was labeled, along with the artists who created it, as “degenerate.”.
Where was Entartete Kunst burned?
In 1939 many of the confiscated works were auctioned in Lucerne, Switzerland, or sold abroad to finance the Nazi Party; the rest are believed to have been burned in Berlin.
What is degenerate art?
Degenerate 'Art'. The term Degenerate Art ('Entarte Kunst' in German), was coined in the 1930s by the Nazis to ridicule modern art that did not fit with Hitler’s vision'. Confiscated by the German government, exhibitions of 'Degenerate' art took place in cities including Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig. In addition to this ridicule, the Nazi's banned ...
How many art objects were removed from the German state collections between 1937 and 1939?
Between 1937 and 1939 around 21,000 art objects were removed from German state collections, including masterpieces by many of the world’s most important artists and a series of defamatory exhibitions were staged, humiliating and rejecting artists who did not adhere to a set of strict criteria.
What happened to the stolen artworks?
Many of the artworks that were stolen were destroyed or will never be retrieved. Some were auctioned in Switzerland in 1939, while other works were sold to private dealers to finance the Nazi party. It is thought around 5,000 works were secretly burned in Berlin in around 1939.
Why was Ernst Barlach's sculpture called "The Terrible Year"?
Nearly 400 of the German sculptor Ernst Barlach’s sculptures were removed from German museums and he titled his sculpture Das Schlimme Jahr (the Terrible Year), 1937, in direct response to Hitler’s Degenerate Art exhibition.
What art did Hitler destroy?
Hitler’s campaign against German avant-garde art included the confiscation of masterpieces in Expressionism, Surrealism, Dada, Cubism, New Objectivity and Fauvism, which were removed from German art institutions or stolen from private collections to be burned or sold abroad. Such artworks included paintings and sculptures by many ...
Why did the Third Reich display two exhibitions in 1937?
In 1937 the Third Reich displayed two exhibitions in order to dictate to the German public the difference between ‘degenerate’ and ‘great’ art. The Great German Art exhibition was staged at Hitler’s purpose-built gallery, Haus der Deutsche Kunst in Munich on the 18 July 1937.
How did Hitler purge art?
In 1937, Adolf Hitler committed one of the worst atrocities in the history of western art, aiming to purge so called ‘degenerate’ art from Germany by removing all traces of any art deemed undesirable by the Fascists. Between 1937 and 1939 around 21,000 art objects were removed from German state collections, including masterpieces by many of the world’s most important artists and a series of defamatory exhibitions were staged, humiliating and rejecting artists who did not adhere to a set of strict criteria.
When was the Degenerate Art Exhibition?
The Degenerate Art Exhibition was opened on July 19th, 1937, in the building which was formerly used by the Institute of Archaeology. It consisted more than 650 paintings, sculptures, prints, and books from the collections of 32 German museums. The exhibition remained on view until November 30th and featured in 11 other cities in Germany ...
Why were the paintings in the Weimar exhibition exaggerated?
In the case of paintings acquired during the post-war Weimar hyperinflation of the early 1920’s, when the cost of a kilo loaf of bread reached 233 billion German marks, the prices of the paintings were of course greatly exaggerated. The exhibit was designed to promote the idea that modernism was a conspiracy by people who hated German decency , frequently identified as Jewish-Bolshevist, although only six of the 112 artists included in the exhibition were, in fact, Jewish.
What was the theme of the exhibition in the first room?
The first room represented the modernist take on religion stressing out the heretical dimension of the movement. The second room focused mainly on the Jewish artists.
What was Hitler's view on art?
Hitler’s views on art were problematic, to say the least. In 1906, he moved from Steyr, where he attended high school, to Vienna, which was one of the cultural centres of Europe at the time. Mind you, art was changing rapidly at the beginning of the 20th century and the style of modernism was appearing in books, paintings, music, sculptures, and buildings alike. Hitler painted watercolors of Vienna’s popular sights and nurtured a rather old-fashioned approach, partly because of his conservative ideology.
What is the meaning of the term "degenerate music"?
In 1938, an exhibition was mounted called ‘Entartete Musik’ (‘Degenerate Music’) in order to point out to the German public what music was degenerate (meaning ‘not normal or desirable’ ), to demonstrate its dangers, and celebrate its removal from German society.
Why did artists flee Germany?
The hypocrisy of this act was blatant. Many artists fled the country since they were prohibited from making and distributing their work in Germany. Many committed suicide and many were locked up in asylums for mentally ill. The Jewish artists who refused to leave the country were deported to concentration camps.
How many paintings did the Nazis own?
Besides from promoting their own cultural policy, the Nazis seized many works of art for profit. In their possession were 16,558 priceless original paintings and sculptures, many of which were later auctioned to finance the Reich, or rather, the Nazi individuals who used the money for their own gain.
What was the Degenerate Art Exhibition?
The exhibition presented 650 works of art, confiscated from German museums, and was staged in counterpoint to the concurrent Great German Art Exhibition. The exhibition included works of Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, Franz Marc, and Emil Nolde . [ 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 ] It was not a singular event in Munich in 1937, but fell with the “ First Great German Art Exhibition ” as a counter-exhibition in a framework with a large number of cultural events in the “Festival Summer Munich 1937”.
Why did the jury of the First Great German Art Exhibition have problems?
On June 2, Gauleiter Adolf Wagner had reported to Joseph Goebbels that problems had arisen in the selection of works for the First Great German Art Exhibition because the jury, which consisted of artists, had followed its own taste and opinion of the artists rather than the official view of art in making its choice.
What was the Munich exhibition?
The controversial exhibition was hosted at the Institute of Archeology in the Hofgarten in Munich and most of the 650 works were displayed without frames. The art pieced included sculptured, paintings as well as prints by Marc Chagall, Georg Grosz, Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, Georg Kolbe, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Franz Marc, Emil Nolde and others. As the exhibition focused on German works, the confiscated pieces by Pablo Picasso , [ 5] Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes and Piet Mondrian were not displayed. The event lasted until 30 November 1937 and more than 2 million people came to visit. In order to achieve an effect that appeared “chaotic,” the works in the exhibition rooms were deliberately hung in an unflattering manner and had vituperative slogans written on the walls. Thus, the entire exhibition was designed for its propagandistic effect. Together with its counterpart, the “ First Great German Art Exhibition ,” the “ Degenerate Art ” exhibition was conceived as a double propaganda show in which works of art considered “degenerate” were systematically juxtaposed with the “pure German art” promoted by the system. Indeed, this juxtaposition was also necessary because there were no clear definitions of “degenerate” and “pure German” art, and both were only given contours in direct confrontation. The exhibition was designed to radically attack the art rejected by the National Socialists.
What was the purpose of the Reich's propaganda exhibition?
The Reich Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda began planning an exhibition in the spring of 1937 to present the achievements of the National Socialist movement since 1933 in the social and political fields. It was held in Berlin from May to August 1937 and featured 3,000 photographs, statistics, and graphics depicting economic success. In addition, it was considered to conduct a parallel campaign against Modern Art. “Art writer” Wolfgang Willrich was ordered to compile material for an exhibition with the planned title “ Gebt mir vier Jahre Zeit ” ( Give me four years ). It was made clear to Willrich that it was the Propaganda Minister’s intention that “a clear contrast be created (a black-and-white contrast, as it were) between, as he put it, ‘ the arts of yesteryear and the art of our day .'” Willrich doubted that a larger number of artworks could be obtained, since most modern artworks were still protected by sympathetic museum directors. However, in the same month, Willrich began sifting through material for the planned exhibition in Berlin. In the process, both gained access to holdings that had been taken down “for their protection” in the years since 1933 and placed in the magazines.
Overview
The Degenerate Art exhibition (German: Die Ausstellung "Entartete Kunst") was an art exhibition organized by Adolf Ziegler and the Nazi Party in Munich from 19 July to 30 November 1937. The exhibition presented 650 works of art, confiscated from German museums, and was staged in counterpoint to the concurrent Great German Art Exhibition. The day before the exhibition started,
Background
Hitler's rise to power on 30 January 1933 was quickly followed by actions intended to cleanse the culture of so-called degeneracy: book burnings were organized, artists and musicians were dismissed from teaching positions, and museum curators were replaced by Party members. In September 1933 the Reichskulturkammer (Reich Culture Chamber) was established, administered by Joseph …
Event
The exhibition was hosted in the Institute of Archaeology in the Hofgarten in Munich. The venue was chosen for its particular qualities (dark, narrow rooms). Many works were displayed without frames and partially covered by derogatory slogans. Photographs of the exhibitions had been made, as well as a catalogue, produced for the Berlin show, which accompanied the exhibition as it travelled…
Subsequent events
Another Degenerate Art Exhibition was hosted a few months later in Berlin, and later in Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Weimar, Halle, Vienna and Salzburg, to be seen by another million or so people. Many works were later sold off, although interested buyers were scarce and prices dropped drastically with the addition of such a large quantity of works to the art market: Goebbels wrote of them changing ha…
See also
• Ahnenerbe
• Art of the Third Reich
• Degenerate music
External links
• Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art), complete inventory of over 16,000 artworks confiscated by the Nazi regime from public institutions in Germany, 1937-1938, Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda. Victoria and Albert Museum, 2014.
• Explore 'Entartete Kunst': The Nazis' inventory of 'degenerate art', Victoria and Albert Museum. 2019.
Degenerate Art: A Ruthless Campaign
Degenerate Art Exhibitions
- Not long after Hitler’s accession in 1933 he began a campaign to destroy Germany’s burgeoning avant-garde art. Initially he organised a series of private ‘Schandausstellungen’ or ‘shame exhibitions’, to humiliate modern artists whose work did not fit with the ideals of National Socialism; their work was displayed alongside that of psychotic patient...
Which Artworks Were confiscated?
- Hitler’s campaign against German avant-garde art included the confiscation of masterpieces in Expressionism, Surrealism, Dada, Cubism, New Objectivity and Fauvism, which were removed from German art institutions or stolen from private collections to be burned or sold abroad. Such artworks included paintings and sculptures by many of the greatest masters in modern art, inclu…
What Happened to The Stolen Artworks?
- Many of the artworks that were stolen were destroyed or will never be retrieved. Some were auctioned in Switzerland in 1939, while other works were sold to private dealers to finance the Nazi party. It is thought around 5,000 works were secretly burned in Berlin in around 1939.