Emil Nolde was a Nazi-the artist? Should hang his pictures in the Chancellery? The debate is not new. Nevertheless, Chancellor Angela Merkel banned now two pictures of Nolde’s from your office. Why only now?
One of the pictures bears the title “the crusher”. A huge wave, the white foam crashes with that dark flood. A low-hanging blood-red cloud, intensified the drama. Its foothills were now being felt also in the Chancellery, where Nolde’s painting hung for many years, as a loan from the State museums of Berlin. Until now.
Two Berlin Museum exhibitions could be the trigger for the return. First of all, the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, opened this weekend, the Exhibition “Emil Nolde – A German legend. The artists in the national socialism”. Shortly thereafter, the Berlin Brücke Museum presents the exhibition “escape to the images? The artists of the bridge in the national socialism”. Both houses belong to the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. In both the exhibition organizers want to dispel the myth of the NS-forsaken artist.
Emil Nolde
That Nolde was also an ardent Nazi, had in the Chancellery. At the latest the spectacular Nolde exhibition at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt five years ago, advanced the knowledge into the public consciousness. Nolde’s writings, his autobiography and numerous letters that the artist wrote to the Nazi-sizes proven to be the case. This anti-Semitic comments, in particular against Jewish artists such as Max Liebermann and gallery owner Bruno Cassirer.
Hope to “Nordic art of the state”
Even after the beginning of the Second world war, Nolde was fighting for recognition – with the Nazis. More still: He hoped for a long time, the Nazis would raise the expressionism of the “Nordic art of the state” – with him as the outstanding representatives. After all, he had – in contrast to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Pechstein, Erich Heckel, Hannah Höch, and Otto Dix – a bow to society’s critical issues. Instead, he remained true to the German plaice and Christian motifs.
The Berlin exhibitions are now showing the current state of research in terms of Nolde. Thereafter, Nolde was not seduced just by the Nazis, but then non-conformist spirit. As such, he had attempted, in his after the war, a fake autobiography. Nevertheless, were seized of no other painter so a lot of Work, and in 1937, prominent in the Munich propaganda exhibition “degenerate art”.
Auction of a Nolde painting
The myth of the persecuted artist
The myth of the persecuted and with Malverbot gegängelten artist only Nolde itself is not used, however. Also the criticism of art, and even literature drew this popular image of the novel “the German lesson” by Siegfried Lenz addressed indirectly, Nolde’s story.
In meticulous Research, the art historian Aya Soika, and the Cambridge faculty, the historian Bernhard Fulda have now updated the Nolde research. Their scientific conclusion: Nolde, a hater of the Jews was. He, too, acknowledged leader, the people and the Fatherland. And supports the research project has been initiated by the Nolde Foundation in Seebüll. After he took office in 2013, your new Director of Christian Ring had opened the long-kept archives. Today, the Foundation, as she writes on her Website, “in the obligation, in the past, resulting misperceptions of the Person by Emil Nolde as a phenomenon of German post-war displacement of educating”.
Christian Ring, Director of the Nolde Foundation in Seebüll
Discussion of art of freedom
The excitement of Nolde not understand, Christian Ring, “really, much was already known. On the one hand, he is a great artist who has influenced his art crucial to the development of German art history, and still applies today for many artists as a model that has chosen the color of the actual Medium. On the other hand, a man who in his time was caught because, like many other millions of Germans.”
Nolde’s popularity does not yet crash. His vivid marsh and sea landscapes to watercolors audience favorites, as well as the biblical scenes, or Nolde’s recurring colourful Flowers. The demand for Nolde works is unbroken, and the prices on the art market stable. Back in the Berlin’s government headquarters, it will not be for the Nolde pictures first. The government spokesperson stated that the Chancellor is happy to take the offer of the Foundation to the future two images of the expressionists Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884-1976) in their work rooms to hang up. It is believed that the works of the “house under the trees” (1910) and “houses by the canal” (1912).
A discussion on Nolde and, in addition, the Foundation’s Director, Christian Ring holds all the more essential: “How do we deal with music, which originated in the time, as with buildings from the time of the national socialism? We at contemporary artists to the democratic principles?”, the art historian asks. “I think we need to make us aware that art is a very high Freiheitsgut.” About to discuss, offer Nolde now the occasion.