Intro to Art During World War II Unit Kassi Cohen Rebecca Simmons Jessica Dowd Erin Peterson

“As for the degenerate artists, I forbid them to force their so-called experiences upon the public. If they do see fields blue, they are deranged, and should go to an asylum. If they only pretend to see them blue, they are criminals, and should go to prison. I will purge the nation of them.” -Adolf Hitler During the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party deemed vast amounts of artwork “degenerate.” These art pieces were generally avant garde or created by Jewish artists. In 1937, an official exhibit was created to display “Entantete Kunst.”

Among the great number of people that were imprisoned in concentration camps during World War 2, many of the people were artists. Despite Nazi efforts many of the prisoners continued to create paintings, drawings, sculptures, music, and poetry during their time in the camps.

Posters and other visual material were widely circulated and vital to the persuasion of the Nazi Party during WWII. As it was to the Americans, propaganda production was extremely important and was vital to the course of World War II. By taking control of the media and only printing or broadcasting Nazi material, the Reich was able to effectively deluge Germany with its propaganda. This, combined with the genius of men like Joseph Goebbels, created one of the most potent onslaughts of wartime propaganda in history.

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