Art of the Third Reich [Hardcover]

Peter Adam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1992

Nearly 50 years after the collapse of Hitler's Third Reich, the officially sanctioned art of his National Socialist regime remains largely unknown. Many were destroyed or stored away in inaccessible locations. Now a documentary film producer offers a thoroughly researched, engrossing examination of the art of National Socialist Germany. 324 illustrations, 33 in full color.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

British filmmaker Peter Adam grew up in Hitler's Germany. In this important book, now available in paperback for the first time, he presents hundreds of examples of artwork that was officially sanctioned by the Third Reich, and which has not been seen by the public since the 1940s. Many of the illustrations are taken from German publications of the era, and reveal how all of the nation's arts--including painting, film, and architecture--were methodically manipulated by the regime into tools of Nazi propaganda. Adam's film documentary of the same name, on which this book is based, received a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Arts Program. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A major propaganda tool in spreading Nazi ideology, the official art of Hitler's regime remains virtually hidden from the German public today. Featuring 321 illustrations (including 33 plates in color), this significant survey is a chilling reminder of how art can be used to promote philistine attitudes and to camouflage evil. Adam, a BBC-TV producer raised in Nazi Berlin and of Jewish ancestry, produced an award-winning documentary film on which this book is based. He thoughtfully reviews Nazi artworks--vulgar kitsch at best: statues of men and women conforming to the fantasy of a pure Aryan race, portraits of the Fuhrer, scenes of farm families, messianic dances, recruitment posters and grandiose architectural schemes for redesigning Berlin, Munich and Nuremberg, colossal plans that embody the vapid dreams of a megalomaniac.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 332 pages
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams; First Edition edition (April 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810919125
• ISBN-13: 978-0810919129
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,286,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Historical and Artistic Document, July 18, 2000

By 

Doc Sarvis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art of the Third Reich (Paperback)

ART OF THE THIRD REICH is a fascinating book for several reasons:

1. First, it addresses a subject (painting, sculpture, and architecture of Nazi Germany) that has yet to be objectively explored by scholars (just try finding anything else about it, much less a volume of this quality). The Nazi era still provokes such an emotional response that it has yet to be seen in any kind of historical perspective. However, as time marches on, studies such as this one will become more common, as students of history attempt to understand the perplexing Nazi phenomenon.

2. Art was arguably more important in Nazi Germany than in any other regime in history. In fact, some scholars have argued that the entire social structure was based on the pursuit of an aesthetic ideal (see the film "The Architecture of Doom" for a presentation of this thesis). In other words, rather than Nazi-approved art being a reflection of the culture, the culture sprang from the artistic ideals of its founders. Much of the events of 1933-45 can be seen to fit this paradigm, and this book provides valuable insight into how those events were orchestrated.

3. No regime in history has used propaganda as extensively as Nazi Germany. All aspects of media, art, cinema, and popular culture were channeled toward advancement of the government's objectives, to a degree never seen before. Hence, this book provides a window into the period that will be useful for anyone wishing to understand how images can be manipulated...something that occurs all around us every day.

4. Finally, there is a great deal of magnificent art in this book, which can be appreciated as a distinct phenomenon from the regime that created or condoned it...just as works such as "Alexander Nevsky" are hailed despite their obvious origin as Soviet propaganda. While it is true that totalitarian government-sanctioned art often dips into mediocrity, that is certainly not always the case here. The art of this era deserves to be viewed in the context of the larger evolution of art in the twentieth century, regardless of the political/social "baggage" associated with it.

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary - Reveals what western governments have hidden, July 3, 1999

By 

Tom Blair "dancer" (Perkiomenville, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Art of the Third Reich (Hardcover)

This is a remarkable book; 300+ pages of wonderful art - much of it censored today (hidden away in DOD archives in Washington DC).

Some of the art is clearly the propaganda of a powerful government. And some (the chapter of "Degenrate Art") is the propaganda of modern American elites. But most of this artwork is truely fine - and of a type no longer allowed to be seen anywhere.

In our modern age - where art is subsidized by the government and reflects the taste of elites - this kind of art is priceless for this is the art of the people. I was touched to tears by the loving caress of working folk and farmers in the painting of Adolph Wissel, Leopold Schmutzler, and Fritz Mackensen.

Also remarkable is the celebration of the human body as nature in ways that are simply not seen in Judeo-Christian societies like modern America - particularly in the sculpture of Arno Breker and Fritz Klimsch. So also the nod to non-Judeo-Christian spirituality that simply could not exist in a modern European society.

The author - Peter Adams - makes the required politically correct, anti-German statements - without which this book could not have been published and would never be sold. Ignore the text - look at the art.

Unlike the propagandistic "Degenerate Art" exhibit of a decade ago, this art will not be traveling to a museum near you. For that reason you MUST get this book. It is pricey - but it is priceless.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine introduction to a complex subject, July 9, 1999

By 

Bragan Thomas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art of the Third Reich (Paperback)

The reviewer immediately below has raised a very troubling but quite accurate issue in relation to National Socialist art: much of it - particularly the sculpture - is quite beautiful by the standards of classical/Renaissance aesthetics. Can we separate the appeal of some of this material from the political regime which operated the factories of death? I think that we can and we must. Adam's book opens the door onto a forbidden chapter of art history, but one with startling implications for modernism. This book is the only basic, english-language survey of its subject. Sadly, much of the art Adam discusses was destroyed or remains inaccessible. I have had the great priviledge to have seen some of the works reproduced in this book on travels to Germany, and it possesses an undeniable power. My only criticism of this book is Adam's decision to treat the art of 1930's Germany as an anomaly in the history of 20th century art - ignoring the fact that these artists were enormously popular in their day, and neglecting to offer a comparison with the distorted visions of Weimar art. No historical phenomenon is without context. Perhaps the rejection of modernism characteristic of this period is not solely the result of a society descending into barbarism, but is indicative of some flaw in modernist culture. If you buy this book, you will be able to judge for yourself.