Haus der Kunst

Lonely Planet review

It was built in 1937 to showcase Nazi art, but now the Haus der Kunst presents works by exactly the artists whom the Nazis rejected and deemed degenerate.

Expressionism, surrealism, Dadaism…modern art of all stripes was anathema to Hitler and his honchos who even devised their own 'final solution' for the offensive art work. Internationally renowned artists like Klee, Beckmann and Schlemmer were forced into exile, their work was removed from museums and confiscated from private collections. The Nazis then sold them off to rake in foreign currency; about 4000 of them were publicly burned in Berlin. In July 1937, though, Goebbels gathered about 650 paintings, sculptures and prints in the crammed and poorly lit Galerie am Hofgarten, calling it an exhibit of Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art). Organised into such themes as Mockery of God and Insult to German Womanhood, it was intended to portray modern art as debauched and decadent. The propaganda show opened on 19 July 1937, just one day after the 'Great German Art Exhibition' of Nazi-approved works premiered in the nearby, custom-built Haus der Deutschen Kunst. Ironically, the Nazi art was largely reviled by the public, while over two million people came to see the Entartete Kunst, more than any other modern art show in history.

Another focus is on contemporary art and design supplemented by hip events, including an after-work party that includes a tour, nibbles snacks and drinks.