Berlin in the Nazi Era
Art between 1933 and 1945

The artistic diversity of the avant-garde had already come under attack from various quarters during the Weimar Republic, not least from the National Socialists. The Nazis’ ascent to power in 1933 put an end to the advance of modernism. Berlin’s character changed: Jewish, dissident and other so-called “undesirable” artists were excluded from the art world due to state oppression and bans on exercising their profession and participating in exhibitions. The opportunism, lack of protest and collusion displayed by many individual Germans helped bolster the Nazi dictatorship and its repressive art policies. Many works of modern art were discredited as “degenerate”. They were removed from public collections, sold off or destroyed. While a number of artists were able to emigrate or flee from brutal persecution, many others were imprisoned and murdered.