Works of "Degenerate Art" believed lost recovered from Berlin bomb rubble
Press release from 11/08/2010
During excavations in the historic centre of Berlin, archaeologists from the state of Berlin have found eleven sculptures that were confiscated from German museums in 1937 as part of the National Socialist "Degenerate Art" campaign. They are bronzes by Edwin Scharff, Otto Baum, Marg Moll, Gustav Heinrich Wolff, Naum Slutzky and Karl Knappe as well as parts of ceramic works by Otto Freundlich and Emy Roeder. Three other recovered works have not yet been identified: A bronze of a woman, a ceramic sculpture that is only partially preserved and heavily chipped, and a torso and a head that presumably belong to the same cast stone figure. The bronzes are essentially undamaged, but have a strong patina due to long storage and firing. The objects can be seen from 9 November 2010 in an exhibition in the Greek Courtyard of the Neues Museum, Museum Island Berlin.
Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, comments: "As you can see, archaeology is always good for surprises: excavations focusing on the medieval history of Berlin have now uncovered extremely interesting and at the same time deeply moving traces of the recent past. The next step will be to research the objects found and their history as comprehensively as possible. "
Matthias Wemhoff, Director of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History and State Archaeologist of the State of Berlin: "This find is unique. Never before have works of art with this background been found during an excavation. The sculpture discovery impressively underlines the importance of archaeological investigations prior to construction work in the centre of Berlin. "
Klaus Wowereit: "The discovery of art defamed as degenerate by the Nazis points to the darkest chapter of German history, to which Berlin has a special responsibility. But the way these works of art are presented to us now, they are also branded with the history of the past 60 years. Above all, this makes them unique. "
As artefacts found in the ground, the sculptures are the property of the state of Berlin. They are now on display in the Neues Museum as part of the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte exhibition. Due to a historical connection, the museum is the depository museum for Berlin's state archaeology, i.e. it preserves all of the state's archaeological finds.
As part of the "Degenerate Art" campaign, the Nazi state confiscated and seized a large number of works of art, mainly from public museums and collections, but also from private individuals. The "Degenerate Art" exhibition opened in Munich in 1937 as a propaganda highlight, which was subsequently shown in Berlin and numerous other cities. The far more extensive holdings from the confiscation campaigns were to be sold for as much currency as possible. This was only partially successful, with a large collection remaining in Berlin. This was held by a department of the Reich Ministry of Propaganda. Some of these works later found their way into the inventories of various art dealers and were thus preserved. The state measures were subsequently legalised by the "Law on the Confiscation of Degenerate Art Products" of 31 May 1938
, and many state collections still have gaps in the area of classical modern art. This also applies to the collection of the Nationalgalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, for which, however, some of the preserved works could be reacquired through purchase or donation.
The circumstances of the find
The artworks were found during excavations in Rathausstraße, formerly Königstraße 50, opposite the Rotes Rathaus. In the run-up to the extension of the U5 underground line from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate, archaeological investigations have been taking place in the street area and on the green space in front of the Rotes Rathaus since October 2009. The focus is on researching the medieval and early modern settlement history. As a rule, the excavation begins at the level of the youngest cellar floors. In order to reach these, the plots must first be "cleared", i.e. cleared of overlying material. This work, which is only possible with an excavator due to the amount of rubble, is being monitored and documented by archaeologists and employees of the Berlin State Office for the Protection of Monuments
, and in January 2010 a conspicuous metal object was recovered, which was identified as a work of art a few days later after initial cleaning in the workshop of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History. A few weeks later, it was confirmed that it was a portrait of the actress Anni Mewes by Edwin Scharff. However, the significance of the find could not yet be recognised, as at this point it was an isolated discovery with a wealth of conceivable backgrounds
. In August 2010, further bronze and terracotta sculptures were discovered in the north-west corner of the cellar and also brought to the Museum of Prehistory and Early History. The identification of the red terracotta head as part of the work "The Pregnant Woman" by Emy Roeder made the connection to the "Degenerate Art" campaign clear. Also from the north-west corner are "Standing Girl" by Otto Baum, "Dancer" by Marg Moll, "Hagar" by Karl Knappe, the fragments of the "Head" by Otto Freundlich as well as a large torso and a possibly associated head of a cast stone sculpture that has not yet been identified.
During a subsequent excavation at the end of October 2010, a female bust by Naum Slutzky, a standing robed figure by Gustav Heinrich Wolff, an unidentified bronze robed figure of a woman holding a bunch of grapes and fragments of a ceramic sculpture, also as yet unidentified, were found
in a confined area that was divided by a cellar wall. In one part of the cellar it was possible to prove that the sculptures were clearly above the furnishings of the cellar, while in the other room there were no traces of the original furnishings. This suggests that the sculptures were not stored in the cellar, but fell from one of the floors above. The fire in the house caused all the false ceilings to collapse. If there had also been paintings or other flammable works of art in the house, they would probably have been completely burnt.
The journey of the artworks to Königstraße 50
The path of the identified artworks can be traced back to 1941/42. After being confiscated by museums (Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Schlesisches Museum der Bildenden Künste, Breslau, Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Staatsgemäldesammlungen München), some of them were shown in the "Degenerate Art" exhibition. The rest were stored in a cellar of the Reich Ministry of Propaganda together with other as yet unutilised holdings from the confiscation campaign.
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