THE EXPATRIATION OF ART

THE PLIGHT AND ALIYAH OF THE ARTISTS

The 3rd Reich was no place for a Jewish Artist. Being a renown Artist did not help: while one's finances and connection may have been far better, public recognition made leaving occupied countries even more difficult; and there was no work for Artists in Germany.Jewish Artists, people who helped them and those whose art did not fit the standards of the Reich Culture Chamber (Reichkulturekammer) were either banished or had to flee from possible incarceration in 'concentration camps' Many artists chose shortly after to flee: their vocation had been decimated: they could not hold public office, present or sell their work, and unless they had agents abroad, they were left destitute. They were further shunned by the general populace who feared the precepts set for those who aided 'enemies of the state'. In short,their destinies either included expatriation , not difficult since they had already been robbed of citizenship, or poverty, starvation, ghettoization and deportation. Most Artists fled.

The Ownership of Art

While many authors, musicians and artists found refuge abroad, [many fled to Vienna between 1933 and 1938 before the Anschluss when they were forced to flee again], the German government sought to confiscate the rights over as many works as possible, even over some works which they considered 'degenerate' because of their value abroad. Many artists, to save their lives, left an entire lifetime of works with friends if possible, or secured, hoping to regain them at the end of Hitler's time in office. Most never regained their work, adding an additionally cruel blow to exile, imprisonment and death.

One of the means of securing the works for the German government was to take over copyrights, and to force certain artists into copyright forfeiture: for a few artists this occurred even after they had fled to another country, such as Great Britain. Some artists foresaw the difficulties and chose copyright and literary agents outside the Reich, before their departure, and protecting their rights to their own work. Today, artists and authors are protected by universal copyright laws such as the Berne Treaty which automatically denotes copyright ownership by the creator upon a fixed work, but then, copyright laws were inconsistent from nation to nation, and the registry of copyrights could be argued to create ownership, often leaving an artist or inventor without a right to their own work. While the Berne treaty has since corrected much of the iniquity of past laws, the nebulous nature of German copyright law then coupled with the consolidated power of the Chancellor/President allowed through the Reichskammer almost complete discretion of the government over the ownership of works.

^{Painting Credit: Paul Klee}

AESTHETICS & THE PURPOSE OF ART

IN order to understand the place of art and what happened to art in the Holocaust or Shoah, one first has to understand the concept of "Aesthetics". Aesthetics is a branch of Art or Philosophy of Art which deals with concepts of beauty. While it is often tritely noted that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' the concept of what is beautiful and what constitutes 'beautiful-ness' has been argued among philosophers for centuries.

^{Painting Credit: Otto Dix: Selbstbildnis mit Artillerie-Helm (Self-Portrait Wearing a Gunner's Helmet), 1914}

THE ARTIST COMMUNITY OF TEREZIN

"Thereisenstadt: the Germans called it, though its native Czechs knew the town as 'Terezin'. It was a centuries old community and came to house one of the largest camp/ghetto/waiting stations of the Holocaust. Originally, it was promoted as a retirement community, where in the process of deportation the elderly and infirm would be 'placed', although the truth of Terezin became horrifying: to the outside world it was promoted as an ideal 'community' for displaced persons, and it was here that Red Cross and other Government inspections took place, but the true Terezin was a way station to Auschwitz and other death camps, with many men, women and children perishing of disease and hunger and shootings in the 'ideal' community. Hitler and his men earlier in his administration had some difficulty with the deportation of famous Jews, notably writers, artists and musicians whom had broadbased respect due to their art, apart from racial concerns. The Nazis knew that they would have many persons attending to their deportation, including the international press and other agencies, so artists and musicians were often sent to Terezin, or "Theriesenstadt" outside of Prague as a means of viable propaganda to assure the 'world' that they were not being mistreated. Once in Terezin, there was little hope of escape: most of the artists sent there were later deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and other camps and were put to death, only a few survived the war. A few of the artists and their vocations may be found listed at "The Musicians of Terezin". The artists in the community in order to keep up the morale of the Jewish population there, though wasted no time in producing plays and operas, many with a metaphorical fist against Hitler's tyranny, such as 'Brundibar', and creating a unique, suffering community of artists who continued as they could their art in the ghetto/camp. Children were encouraged to sing in a children's choir, perform in plays, write poetry and prose and the artwork of Terezin's children has subsequently become quite famous. Well-known musicians such as Hans Pavel,

^{Painting Credit: Freidl Dickerbrandeis: Thereisenstadt: 1942-43.}

THE BAUHAUS & ARCHITECTURAL BOLSHEVISM

While the great experiment of the Bauhaus is covered elsewhere in this site, it is singular to note its influence, advant garde leadership in the arts and architecture and holistic approach to design and the various disciplines. The Bauhaus, both a place and a movement was established in the 1920s and 30's by Gropius and such artists as Klee and Kandinksy spent time at the institute which sought to erase boundaries between philosophy, art, and architectural design, insisting that students develop new concepts and holistic approaches to the arts in many aspects. The Bauhaus, known especially for its forefront role in Dadaism, was innovative in a move away from traditional and 'ultra-realistic' art forms, allowing for more fluid expression and design than historical approaches imagined or allowed. This creative institute was scorned by Hitler even before taking office, and considered to be tied to communist motives. By the time Hitler took office, the Bauhaus had first relocated to Berlin and then dissolved. Many of its adherents and faculty and students were exiled. Artists such as Klee, Kandinsky, Miro and others tied to its influence were among those denigrated at the Entarte Kunst exhibit of degenerate art produced by members of the Reich to warn Germans of the influence of non-Aryan art. Bolshevism and 'Entarte Kunst' or degenerative art. While it was initially tolerated, after a move to Berlin, it was disbanded and most of the artists, like other artists in Germany by 1933 were banned and/or exiled removed from teaching positions as an exaggerated 'super-realism' or 'neo-classicism or baroqueism" supplanted contemporary European art forms.

The Expatriation of ART

The Ownership of Art