Art

Degenerate Art Exhibition Guide 1937 - First bilingual edition

Introduction

On July 19, 1937, the exhibition 'Entartete Kunst' (Degenerate Art) opened in Munich. On show were 650 paintings and sculptures by 112 artists, all of which were considered out of line with Nazi ideology. The pictures were jammed together with labels deriding the artists. All artwork had been confiscated from German museums.

In November 1937, when the Munich exhibition closed, this guide book 'Entartete Kunst Austellungsführer" (Degenerate art exhibition guide) was published in Berlin. The author, Fritz Kaiser, had worked in the Reichspropagandaleiting (Reich propaganda directorate) since 1935. Not all the art illustrated in the guide was exhibited in the Munich exhibition, but all works depicted were by artists who had been represented there or whose work had been confiscated in the 1937 raids against 'degenerate art'.

In February 1938 the exhibition opened in Berlin and subsequently was shown in eleven other cities in Germany and Austria. No entrance fee was charged, in an attempt to attract as may visitors as possible. Young people under the age of 18 years were barred from the exhibition to underline the obscenity of the paintings and sculptures. More than two million visitors saw the exhibition.

During the summer if 1937, a parallel art exhibition was staged showing works of art approved by the Nazi regime. The first annual 'Great German Art Exhibition' opened on July 18, in the 'House of German Art' in Munich. 884 paintings and sculptures chosen by Hitler went on show. During the opening ceremonies speeches were made differentiating between 'Nazi art' and 'degenerate art'. Quotes from these speeches found their way into the 'Degenerate Art Exhibition Guide'.

For the first time the 'Degenerate Art Exhibition Guide' has been translated and published as a bilingual edition. The guide is divided into nine distinct sections followed by the text of a speech by Hitler. The English speaking world finally has access to a key text from a dark period of art history. Many of the paintings described as 'degenerate' in the exhibition guide are highly respected today and considered important works of art that have become part of our cultural identity.

Contents

Structure of the exhibition. 9 separate sections with 35 illustrations (16 pages)

Text of a speech by Adolf Hitler about art with 12 illustrations (10 pages)

Book Details

Editor and Translator: Joachim von Halasz

Paperback: 78 pages (English translation on the left hand pages facing the original German text on the right hand pages)

Illustrations: 49 pictures of German art

Publisher: Foxley Books

Language: Original German with English translation

ISBN-10: 1905742304

ISBN-13: 978-1905742301

Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.6 x 1 cm / 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches (Demy 8vo) Perfect Bound on Creme w/Gloss Lam

Price: UK £12.95 / EU €15.00 / US $17.50 / AUS $17.50 / CAN $17.50

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