On Wednesday, March 18, I toured the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s (MIA) most recent exhibition, “Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945: Masterworks from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin,” which will be running until July 19, 2026. As the name suggests, it includes a collection encompassing a variety of art movements, with an emphasis on three in particular, ranging from before the first World War to the aftermath of the second.
At the onset of World War I in 1914, the politics of the then German Empire were dominated by Kaiser Wilhelm II and the conservative aristocratic elite called junkers. A tradition of militarism was entrenched in society, and remained so until after the fall of the Third Reich in 1945.
In 1918, a revolution resulted in the abolition of the monarchy. An ensuing power struggle within the left culminated in a second uprising the following spring that would be violently crushed by the SPD’s (‘Social Democrats’) use of right-wing paramilitaries.
The subsequent Treaty of Versailles resulted in vast territorial losses and harsh reparations that crippled the German economy, and led to much resentment in the public. The far-right, especially the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeitspartei (NSDAP), or Nazi Party, would exploit this by propagating the “stab-in-the-back” myth, or the conspiracy theory that Jewish bolsheviks and socialists caused Germany’s defeat.
After securing power in 1933, the Nazi Party imposed restrictions on and removed what it called “degenerate art,” although later on they created a gallery of the same name as a form of mockery. Many artists who did not conform found themselves silenced, imprisoned — especially if they were also political rivals — or fleeing abroad, only to find themselves under the jackboot once more after the Wehrmacht’s initial victories in Europe.
The first style on display at the MIA was expressionism, characterized by dramatic use of bright colors, as well as unusual and exaggerated forms in order to both convey and evoke emotions, gaining popularity as a form of opposition and critique of the conservative Kaiserreich that continued into the Weimar Era.
The piece that caught my attention the most was Conrad Felixmüller’s “the Orator No. 1, Otto Rühle” (1920), both for the art itself and the story behind it. Felixmüller depicts fellow communist Rühle giving a passionate speech to a group of workers – but only a fragment containing his head was on display. Felixmüller destroyed most of the oil painting for fear of Nazi persecution. His postwar recreation of the full artwork could be found near the end of the exhibition. Rühle’s features have been distorted (the first thought I had was “extreme gamer neck”) depicted in stark greens and pinks in order to convey his intensity.
The next installation featured Neue Sachlichkeit (new objectivity) which had a a heavy focus on realism in order to capture moments in time of everyday life and societal changes during the Weimar era. They often featured emotionless expressions as well as exaggerated hand sizes to emphasize the idea of labor.
Around the same time as the Neue Sachlichkeit movement, the abstractionist movement developed as well. Essentially the complete opposite of new objectivity in terms of visual appearance, it focused on a shift away from realistic depictions of the human form towards more stylized methods meant to convey ideas. The sleek design present in many pieces was emblematic of the idea of the future and progress. One sculpture of a face reminded me of robots from Fritz Lang’s classic German expressionist film “Metropolis.”
Some of my favorite paintings from the interwar period were “Pillars of Society” (1926) by George Grosz, “Worker with Machine” (1924-28) by Wilhelm Lachnit and “The Telegraph Operator” (1927) by Albert Birkle. “Pillars of Society” used a combination of realism and symbolism to create grotesque caricatures of various influential ‘pillars’ within Weimar society.
Included were a politician with literal steaming shit for a brain, a priest concealing the crimes and brutality of the military while speaking of peace and a drunken bureaucrat fantasizing of his days in the calvary; a swastika can be seen on his tie. To the left of the corrupt politician is conservative media mogul Alfred Hugenberg wearing a chamber pot on his head; he holds a bloodied symbol of peace (a palm frond) and newspapers to represent the press. Hugenberg also happened to be a major funder of the political right and supported Hitler’s rise to power with the false notion that he could control him. I think this adds a layer of truth to his portrayal as an idiotic war mongerer.
I also, of course, have to mention the piece used in the exhibit’s promotional material and this article’s picture: “Sonja” (1928) by Christian Schad. A young woman sporting the Superman haircut and a black dress sits in a cafe with a cigarette holder in hand. The extreme realism and Sonja’s deadpan expression are prime examples of the New Objectivity style. The painting captures the increased social mobility of women during the Weimar period.
One of the most fascinating things to me was how some artists modified their previous work in an attempt to rewrite their cooperation with the Third Reich and Wehrmacht (German army), or to reflect the post war atmosphere. Franz Radziwill’s 1940-50 “Flanders (Where to in This World?)” is a prime example. A Nazi Party member who changed his style to adhere to their ideals (though he still found his work on display in the “Degenerate Art” gallery) and a war correspondent, he originally depicted the Luftwaffe (German air force) attacking the idyllic Belgian countryside. Radziwill later became disillusioned with the party and altered the painting after the war. The current version is far more surreal and apocalyptic, featuring a crack in the heavens splitting the earth, a purple flower in the horizon and multiple burning figures in the sky.
In addition to these sections, the exhibition included an “International Avant Garde” component that showcased works like those of Pablo Picasso or German artists in exile. Over the coming months, MIA will also be holding a series of events relating to the exhibition. I highly recommend you check it out before it leaves this summer.
