Introduction
The exhibition of 'Degenerate Art' (Entartete Kunst) took place in Munich in the summer of 1937 and showcased several avant-garde works of art as products of cultural degeneration, 'cultural bolshevism', corruption and madness, that were produced, according to Hitler, by 'fools, liars, or criminals who belong in asylums or prisons'. [1]
The Speech
Central to Hitler's speech that inaugurated the exhibition was the argument that the encroachment of Judaism on the public sphere has severely affected art and culture. This was also demonstrated by the fact that a lot of the artists that were being showcased in the 'Degenerate Art' exhibition had Jewish heritage. He argued that the Jewish presence in the press enabled the invention of art criticism which defied the natural beauty of art and undermined its purpose. He believed that the art criticism being practiced within the field of modern art led to a standardisation of art with the purpose of creating an '
international communal experience'
[2] which went against Hitler's own understanding of art. He criticised the refashioning of art into movements such as futurism, cubism, and dadaism, because they emphasised a material character stripped off of any ethnic roots. His call for a 'German art' was a call for
everlasting art that goes beyond time and is representative of the German people: "
for art is not founded on time, but only on peoples."
[2]
- ↑ Harrison, Charles and Paul Wood, Art in Theory, 1900-1990, An Anthology of Changing Ideas, 423.
- ↑ 2,0 2,1 Harrison, Charles and Paul Wood, Art in Theory, 1900-1990, An Anthology of Changing Ideas, 424.
