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The Worst Exhibition in the World: Degenerate Art, 1937
'Fascinating and timely' JOHN BANVILLE
Degenerate Art was the end of the first act of Hitler's Reich, the cultural and spiritual "coordination" of the German people.
The Nazi exhibition of 'Degenerate Art' in 1937 was meant to show all that had gone wrong with Germany. Yet it was, ironically, one of the first great retrospectives of modern European art. More than a million people flocked to the show to catch a glimpse of the insane, the criminal, the Jewish and the the 'primitive international scratchings' of un-German artists, in the words of Adolf Hitler. While some came to sneer or mock, others were there to admire or to pay their final respects. Within a few years, many of the works on display would be destroyed or lost in the chaos of war.
John-Paul Stonard leads a tour of the crowded vaults of the Hofgarten arcade to discover the wonders of Dada, reveal hidden jewels of German Expressionism and the innovations of Bauhaus – and to demonstrate how the 'worst' that Germany had to offer made one of the most fascinating shows of all time.
Degenerate Art was the end of the first act of Hitler's Reich, the cultural and spiritual "coordination" of the German people.
The Nazi exhibition of 'Degenerate Art' in 1937 was meant to show all that had gone wrong with Germany. Yet it was, ironically, one of the first great retrospectives of modern European art. More than a million people flocked to the show to catch a glimpse of the insane, the criminal, the Jewish and the the 'primitive international scratchings' of un-German artists, in the words of Adolf Hitler. While some came to sneer or mock, others were there to admire or to pay their final respects. Within a few years, many of the works on display would be destroyed or lost in the chaos of war.
John-Paul Stonard leads a tour of the crowded vaults of the Hofgarten arcade to discover the wonders of Dada, reveal hidden jewels of German Expressionism and the innovations of Bauhaus – and to demonstrate how the 'worst' that Germany had to offer made one of the most fascinating shows of all time.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 5, 2026
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