In 2019, a batch of watercolors, illustrations and drawings were seized by the prosecutor’s office in Nuremberg to the auction house Auktionshaus Weidler. A total of sixty-three works were investigated for suspected forgery, all signed by Adolf Hitler. The data suggests how much interest there was and will be in the works created by the highest Nazi leader, an artist with few resources according to connoisseurs, but one of the unavoidable figures in the history of the 20th century.
The business of fakes of Hitler’s works has become so voluminous that, according to critics, no one really knows what the authentic works signed by him are. Only the watercolors kept in the Bavarian state archive serve as a comparison to certify the pieces that are put up for sale. And the fakes did not start after his death, on the contrary, they were also a prosperous business while Hitler was alive. Today the Weidler house, lays hands on any kind of document that can prove authenticity, especially in works valued above 100,000 dollars. The German police closely monitor the offers to detect if there is a crime behind these sales.
Why can these paintings be freely sold? Yes ok Germany The trade in Nazi objects, the pieces made and used by the Nazis, is prohibited. fuhrer German are not within the restrictions as long as they do not have any trace of symbology linked to the Third Reich. In this sense, the historical weight is valued more than the artistic quality.
The Auktionshaus Weidler House is one of those that regularly offer the watercolors created by Adolf Hitler. The works, coming from private consignors, according to Weidler, are previously analyzed by experts to determine their value and the basis of sale. The auction prices range between hundreds of euros and one hundred thousand euros, on average. On the reason for the buyers, the House spokesman told the media: “people want to own a part of world history or make a financial investment.”
In his youth, in the Austrian capital, before the First World WarAdolf Hitler made a living selling his paintings. With the aspiration to become a professional artist, he tried to enter the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, but was rejected twice. This did not deter him from continuing to market his postcards. Currently, a part of the hundreds of paintings signed by him are under the power of the American government.
A curious fact is that the paintings that Hitler came to sell to earn a living in his youth, were bought by the businessman Samuel Morgenstern who resold them to his customers, mostly belonging to the Viennese Jewish community. In this way, it was also possible to locate a large part of the paintings made by the Führer by verifying the Morgenstern sales catalogue.
According to critics specialized in pictorial art, who were able to evaluate the works made at that time, they highlighted that the artist placed more emphasis on the visual development of public spaces and building structures. They also observed the lack of people and bystanders in most of these urban postcards.
in his book Mein Kampf (My fight), own Adolf Hitler he explained that the rejection of the Academy of Fine Arts, and the lack of recognition of his art, impacted his ego and stimulated him to further his political interest and ambition. The most visible example of that resentful artistic streak, diverted towards politics, can be recognized in one of his creations: the Nazi party flag.
Was Hitler’s frustrated artistic career the reason why he became the paradigm of the bloodthirsty dictator of the 20th century? In a report to the Conservative of the Williams College Museum of Art Williamstown from Massachusetts, Deborah Rothschild He told The New Yorker: “Hitler used artistic tools, such as elegant design, hypnotic oratory and spectacle, to seize and exercise power.”
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