An Artist against the Third Reich: Ernst Barlach, 1933–1938

by Peter Paret

• ISBN13: 9780521821384
• ISBN10: 052182138X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-03-24
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The conflict between National Socialism and Ernst Barlach, one of the most important sculptors of the twentieth century, is an unusual episode in the history of Hitler's efforts to rid Germany of 'international modernism'. Barlach did not passively accept the confiscation and destruction of his sculptures. He protested the injustice, and continued his work. Hitler's rejection of modernism, often dismissed as absurd ranting, is instead interpreted as an internally consistent and politically effective critique of liberal Western culture. That some radical national socialists nevertheless advocated a 'Nordic modernism' and tried to win Barlach over indicates the cultural cross-currents running through the early years of the Third Reich. Peter Paret's closely focused study of an artist in a time of crisis seamlessly combines the history of modern Germany and the history of modern art.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction	1	(4)
Hitler	5	(18)
Barlach	23	(28)
Nordic Modernism	51	(26)
The Hounding of Barlach	77	(32)
German and Un-German Art	109	(30)
After the Fact	139	(16)
A Note on the Literature	155	(12)
Notes	167	(16)
Documents and Works Cited	183	(6)
Index	189