Degenerate Art

The exhibition of “Degenerate Art” in Munich, 1937

“Degenerate Art” (German: entartete Kunst) is a pejorative term used in Nazi Germany propaganda to describe art that deviated from the guidelines set by the regime. This term most commonly referred to modern art movements such as Expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, and Surrealism.

 

To discredit such works in the eyes of the broader public, propagandistic exhibitions were organized, including the major exhibition in Munich in the summer of 1937, where over half a thousand pieces from German museums were presented. Among the exhibited paintings were also works by Otto Mueller from the Breslau collection of Ismar Littmann.