From 1937 to 1944 the National Socialist regime organized a series of high-profile art exhibitions at the purpose-built Haus der Deutschen Kunst in Munich. Boasting huge numbers of participants and visitors and high sales figures, the Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung became the most important showcase of National Socialist art. Adolf Hitler played a crucial role in determining all aspects of the exhibition, most notably the selection of artworks. His vast purchases from the Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung contributed to the inflation in the market for contemporary art and led to the establishment of a group of favoured painters and sculptors which can be compared to the court artists of early modern times.
This book traces the history of the Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung, characterizes the artists and artworks shown and investigates how the local Munich tradition of displaying art was reinvented for national purposes. It examines the social policies for artists in the Third Reich, highlights Hitler's role as a patron for the exhibition and points out some of the contradictions and inconsistencies in National Socialist art policies.

Autorentext

The Author: Ines Schlenker completed her Ph.D. thesis at the Courtauld Institute and is a researcher at the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust, preparing the catalogue raisonné of the painter Marie-Louise von Motesiczky. She has published on National Socialist, exile and 'degenerate' art and contributed to various exhibition projects like Art and Power (Hayward Gallery, London, 1995), Marie-Louise von Motesiczky (Tate Liverpool, 2006) and Kunst und Propaganda (Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, 2007).

Inhalt
Contents: Haus der Deutschen Kunst: from the old Glaspalast to the 'Temple of German Art' Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung: statistics and organization, reinvention of local traditions on a national level Selection for the exhibition: Adolf Hitler's role, characterization of artworks and artists National Socialist patronage: social policies for artists in the Third Reich, Hitler as patron, court artists.