Rathausausstellung 2026 - Tafel 15: Kunststudium im Nationalsozialismus | Town-hall Exhibition 2026 - Panel 15: Studying Art during the Nazi era

Case in point: The Hochschule für Bildende Künste In the late 1920s, the State School of Art was renowned nationwide for its focus on modern art. Following the sacking of its director Max Sauerlandt and five other teachers in 1933, the school set about restructuring in line with Nazi ideology. Paul Fliether, its new director, was a staunch Nazi and aligned the school with nationalist ideals, focusing on craftsmanship and architecture that emphasised Heimatstil, tradition, and Germanic culture. He collaborated with the architect Konstanty Gutschow, who had been commissioned with the urban transformation of Hamburg as a Führerstadt. Students decorated the senators’ rooms in the Town Hall with trees of life, Germanic runes, and swastikas. Very few students and teachers continued to engage in critical dialogue.