10 WORKS OF ART THE NAZIS DEEMED ‘Degenerate’
Hitler’s takeover of Germany and its surrounding nations was
not merely a military or genocidal feat. He wanted to completely overhaul the
cultural fabric of Germania. That also applied to paintings. There was a
certain style of German art that he believed was superior, such as the work of
the “Old Masters” or realistic paintings of wholesome events.
In particular,
Hitler wanted to eradicate modern art. According to the Reich, modern art was
depraved and irrational. Dadaism, Impressionism, Cubism, Expressionism, and
Surrealism were all verboten, and these paintings were all hauled out of
museums. Hitler even declared, “The Dadaists, Cubists, and those futuristic expressive
ones and those objective chatterers will under no circumstances participate in
our cultural renaissance.”
In July 1937, over 650 works were exhibited in the Institute
of Archaeology in the Hofgarten in Munich. The pieces were displayed under the
title ofEntartete Kunst (“Degenerate Art”). Painted on the wall were captions, including ones that read, “Insolent mockery of the Divine
under Centrist rule,” “An insult to German womanhood,” and “Revelation of the
Jewish racial soul.”
On March 20,
1939, around 5,000 paintings, drawing, and sculptures were thrown into a
bonfire under the supervision of the Berlin Fire Department. More were
destroyed in Paris in July 1942.
Thankfully, many museum curators and ordinary
citizens saw the Reich’s savagery for what it was. Many works were smuggled out
of occupied countries or hidden in desolate farmhouses or caves. More.....
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