The Maltz Museum’s latest exhibition, DEGENERATE! Hitler’s War on Modern Art features original works by Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky, Kirchner, Grosz, and more—all labeled as “degenerate” by the Nazi regime. This world-renowned exhibition is on view at the Maltz Museum through April 20, 2025.
Today’s audiences viewing the work may wonder: Why did Hitler and the Nazi party hate modern artwork? Why rid the world of this artistic expression? Let’s explore what was behind the Third Reich’s systematic effort to control cultural expression not aligned with the regime’s agenda.
Control expression. Control the world.
When the Nazis gained control of Germany in 1933, they began disbanding organizations, replacing them with Nazi-controlled groups. This effort involved coordinating and synchronizing all aspects of German life to align with the values of the Nazi party. This includes everything from student and professional groups to sports, music, art, and other cultural organizations.
The Nazi’s approach to controlling people involved systematically redefining the aspects of society they said contributed to criminal behavior, decay, and madness. The regime wanted to rid the world of modern art because they said it glorified the degenerate, and this kind of expression had no place in our world according to their philosophy.
Why target the modern art of the time?
Simply put, the artworks often produced in the early 20th century reflected the tumultuous period during World War I. Themes depicted some of the grittier aspects of life, like poverty, strife, and destruction. Rather than glorifying a “perfect” world, the art of the time reflected the lived experiences of people from all walks of life—Jewish and otherwise.
But that’s not the only reason. Adolf Hitler was an artist before he entered politics. His style favored realistic paintings of buildings and landscapes, yet the art establishment dismissed him in favor of abstract and modern styles. And it seems Hitler never let go of being snubbed by the art world and had an axe to grind.
Ridding the world of “degenerate” art
Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi’s propaganda minister, spearheaded the Degenerate Art Show in Munich to give German society a look at what they deemed a “house of horrors.” The primary goal of this exhibition was to “educate” the public on the “art of decay” and show modernist artwork was the result of inferior, criminal minds that sought to destroy Germany. Visitors can see footage from this event at the Maltz Museum’s exhibition.
The works weren’t merely shown at this event for public interpretation. Art was displayed and positioned in unflattering ways, with quotes from Hitler and Goebbels explaining why it was unacceptable. According to a BBC article on the exhibition: “One room featured entirely abstract paintings, and was labeled ‘the insanity room’… A handbook distributed at the exhibition read: ‘In the paintings and drawings of this chamber of horrors, there is no telling what was in the sick brains of those who wielded the brush or the pencil.’”
What happened to the artwork?
Beyond furthering the Nazi agenda, The Degenerate Art Exhibition was Hitler’s moment to get revenge on the art establishment. According to BBC, he made a speech the summer before the exhibition, saying, “Works of art which cannot be understood in themselves but need some pretentious instruction book to justify their existence will never again find their way to the German people.”
The Nazis removed more than 20,000 artworks from museums and private collections after the 1937 event in Munich. Some of these works were destroyed, while others were sold abroad to fund the Nazi war machine, despite the regime’s insistence that it wouldn’t use funds from these sales for warfare. In 1939, the Nazis burned more than 5,000 paintings they couldn’t sell.
Why this exhibition is relevant today
DEGENERATE! Hitler’s War on Modern Art gives visitors the chance to see rare artworks that survived the Nazi purge—extraordinary given the regime’s destructive power.
Equally important, this exhibition delivers important reminders of the strategies and tactics bad political actors use to exact revenge and realize their plans for world domination. The events surrounding World War II and the Holocaust are grim evidence of just how far they can go with unchecked military power.
Remember: The Nazis were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 6 million Jewish people, 40 million civilians, and 20 million soldiers, who lost their lives in the war between 1939 and 1945. Even in 2025, these lessons are essential and can help us address the challenges we face—in America and around the world.
Remember: DEGENERATE! Hitler’s War on Modern Art is FREE for Museum Members!
Information for this article was sourced from the BBC, Degenerate art: Why Hitler hated modernism, Holocaust Museum, How Many People Did the Nazis Murder, United Nations, The United Nations remembers the dead of WWII, and background provided by the exhibition presenter, the Jewish Museum of Milwaukee.
