An Artist against the Third Reich: Ernst Barlach, 1933–1938

The conflict between National Socialism and Ernst Barlach, one of the most important sculptors of the twentieth century, is an unusual episode in the history of Hitler's efforts to rid Germany of 'international modernism'. Barlach did not passively accept the confiscation and destruction of his sculptures. He protested the injustice, and continued his work. Hitler's rejection of modernism, often dismissed as absurd ranting, is instead interpreted as an internally consistent and politically effective critique of liberal Western culture. That some radical national socialists nevertheless advocated a 'Nordic modernism' and tried to win Barlach over indicates the cultural cross-currents running through the early years of the Third Reich. Peter Paret's closely focused study of an artist in a time of crisis seamlessly combines the history of modern Germany and the history of modern art.

Table of Contents:
List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Hitler; 2. Barlach; 3. Nordic modernism; 4. The hounding of Barlach; 5. German and un-German art; 6. After the fact; A note on the literature; Notes; Documents and works cited; Index.

Review :
'In this fine study of the artist in the Third Reich, Peter Paret reminds us that modern populist dictatorships like the Nazi regime do not want mere political passiveness and acquiescence, rather they crave participation and acclamation.' Christopher R. Browning, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 'Peter Paret's study of the artist Ernst Barlach in the Third Reich is a marvelous essay on artistic stubbornness. Barlach's struggles to persevere and the motives of his enemies, venomous local hacks and ideologues as well as members of the Nazi elite like Rosenberg, Goebbels and Hitler, are carefully excavated, thoughtfully interpreted, and elegantly presented as one might expect from a master historian at the cross-road of art, violence, and history.' Michael Geyer, University of Chicago 'Peter Paret's rich and responsible analyses present much more than the excellent, sharply-focused English monograph on Barlach for which we have long waited. His refreshingly direct, impeccably documented narrative proceeds simply and matter-of-factly to unfold an incredibly complex history. Paret consistently returns to make major points and conclusions, not to cast his case in lead, but to introduce a discussion that will certainly continue. The book will attract many eager for a definitive, accessible monograph on Barlach, but it will find just as large an audience curious to understand how one artist worked, lived, and resisted in the Third Reich, and eager to see how Paret - the pre-eminent historian of modern German art - pieces this story together.' Barbara Copeland Buenger, University of Wisconsin-Madison 'Peter Paret convincingly characterizes the uncertainties and moral ambiguities faced by Ernst Barlach, one of twentieth-century Germany's most prominent artist and sculptor.' Marion Deshmukh, George Mason University 'This short, limpid book has the simple clarity of a morality tale ... as a book about process, as a case study in totalitarianism and a vignette of the crucial relationship between nationalism and war, it has a resonance - and a relevance - far greater than its own modest length.' Elsbeth Lindner, The Sun (USA) 'Paret lucidly unravels the politics of Barlach's situation.' Robin Blake, Financial Times Magazine 'Distinguished historian peter Paret adroitly recounts this assault on freedom of expression and analyses Hitler's rejection of modernism as part of his wider contempt for liberal Western culture. Stylish and admirably succinct.' Galleries Magazine 'An Artist Against the Third Reich sheds much light on the tortured evolution of Nazi policy.' New York Times 'In focusing on the work of Ernst Barlach, Paret provides us with not only an important intellectual biography of a nonpolitical artist who was forced to become a dissident, but also a lense by which to view the evolution of Hitler's war against abstract art.' The Weekly Standard '... finely researched ... the German political background is presented here with special cogency ...' Art and Christianity '... marvellously wide-ranging, original and thought-provoking study.' European History Quarterly 'This is a compelling and, at the same time, carefully nuanced study of the complex relationship between Barlach and the dictatorship of the Third Reich ... Paret's narrative extends beyond its particular focus on Barlach's situation to consider the ideological and personal motives behind the regime's policies on the arts.' The Burlington Magazine