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Castaway Modernism

Basel’s Acquisitions of “Degenerate” Art
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Castaway Modernism explores a pivotal moment in the history of the Kunstmuseum Basel's collection during the Nazi regime's campaign against so-called "degenerate" art. In 1937, thousands of artworks were seized from German museums under Nazi cultural policy. Some pieces, deemed "internationally exploitable," were sold abroad through various channels. In 1939, Georg Schmidt, director of the Kunstmuseum Basel, acquired Franz Marc's Animal Destinies along with twenty avant-garde masterpieces, preserving a fragment of modern art threatened by destruction. The book uncovers the cultural violence perpetrated by the Nazis and the resulting fragmentation of Modernism, while also highlighting the Swiss perspective through auctions and collection history.
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Format: Hardback
$15000

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Castaway Modernism will interest readers passionate about art history, particularly those focused on Modernism, museum collections, and the impact of political regimes on cultural heritage. It is ideal for academics, art professionals, and anyone keen to understand the intersection of art, politics, and history during the Nazi era.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Castaway Modernism illuminates an important moment in the history of the Kunstmuseum Basel's collection. In 1937, the Nazi cultural policy denounced thousands of works as "degenerate" and forcibly removed them from German museums. The Third Reich's Ministry of Propaganda correctly assumed that a portion of such works would find buyers abroad. In this way, certain artworks deemed "internationally exploitable" reached the art market via various channels. Georg Schmidt (1896-1966), the museum's director at the time, managed in 1939 to acquire the painting Animal Destinies by Franz Marc (1880-1916) along with twenty avant-garde masterpieces simultaneously.

In the catalogue, renowned experts trace the events based on the seizures in German museums and explain the historical contexts. The actors of the institutions and the art market are presented, and the Nazi regime's act of cultural violence is revealed. This resulted in an artificial fragmentation of Modernism into art that was "exploitable" on one hand, and art that had been destroyed or forgotten on the other.

Contributions on the auction of the Galerie Fischer in Lucerne, on Georg Schmidt's approach, and on the classification of the acquisitions in the context of Basel's collection history bring specific Swiss aspects into focus.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9783775752220

Publisher: Hatje Cantz

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 24 November 2022

Country: Germany

Imprint: Hatje Cantz

Illustration: 290 Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Edited by Eva Reifert
  • Text by Georg Kreis
  • Text by Claudia Blank
  • Text by Eva Reifert
  • Text by Tessa Rosebrock
  • Text by Ines Rotermund-Reynard
  • Text by Gregory Desauvage
  • Text by Uwe Fleckner
  • Text by Meike Hoffmann

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 220.0mm

Height: 280.0mm

Weight: 1480g

Pages: 344

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Arts & Culture Non-Fiction

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