"Degenerate" art : Modern art on trial under the Nazis

Through reproductions of emblematic works, such as those by Wassily Kandinsky, Otto Dix, Paul Klee and Max Beckmann, and rare archives, the catalog traces the history of the "Entartete Kunst" propaganda exhibition, organized in Munich in 1937, which brought together over 600 works from the artistic avant-garde in a deliberately degrading scenography. It focuses on the use of the 19th-century concept of "degeneration", which became a central tool of the racist, anti-Semitic ideology of National Socialism, and its impact on art history.

The catalog offers a detailed analysis of the political and cultural contexts that led to the confiscation of over 20,000 works of art, including those by Marc Chagall, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso, considered a symbol of the "degenerate artist". It also examines the international trade in these spoliated works, with a particular focus on the role played by France.

Richly illustrated and documented, this book offers an in-depth reading of the issues at stake in the exhibition and traces the trajectories of the persecuted works. It also puts the mechanisms of propaganda and cultural spoliation into perspective, while examining their contemporary resonance.