Rathausausstellung 2026 - Tafel 13: Von der modernen zur »entarteten« Kunst | Town-hall Exhibition 2026 - Panel 13: From modern to ‘degenerate’ art

Case in point: The Hamburger Kunsthalle Even during the Nazi era, many people found modern art fascinating. The process by which it came to be seen as ‘degenerate’ was gradual. Initially, the Hamburger Kunsthalle showcased many works of classical modern art. The Picture Gallery, which was redesigned in 1935, showed expressionist works by Emil Nolde, for example, and, with its display of works by Max Liebermann, prominently featured a Jewish artist. Proponents of a völkisch, or nationalistic, conception of art were outraged, a scandal ensued, and the director of the Paintings Gallery was sacked. In 1937, the Reich Chamber of Fine Arts classified more than 20,000 works in German museums by modern, communist, and Jewish artists as 'degenerate' and confiscated them. 1,000 of those works came from the Hamburger Kunsthalle.