ART FOR NO ONE. 1933–1945

Between 1933 and 1945, the National Socialist regime controlled artistic work in Germany. Partic­u­larly artists who were perse­cuted based on their reli­gion, descent, or polit­ical views fled into exile due to threats from the govern­ment. But what happened to the artists who remained in the country? Isola­tion, lack of an audi­ence, and limited exchange impacted the creativity of the indi­vid­uals who were deprived of a basis for work and life under National Socialism. Their situ­a­tion is often described in a gener­al­ized way as “ostracism” or “inner emigra­tion.” In light of the multi­lay­ered and diver­gent personal circum­stances, however, these terms fall short of the mark.

In the large overview exhi­bi­tion “ART FOR NO ONE. 1933–1945,” the Schirn Kunsthalle Frank­furt is showing the different strate­gies and scopes of action employed by artists who did not seek or find any affil­i­a­tion with the National Socialist regime.

Digitorial: https://www.schirn.de/kunstfuerkeinen/digitorial/en