John-Paul Stonard warns of parallels between Nazi 'degenerate art' campaign and today's threats to artistic freedom

In a commentary for The Art Newspaper, art historian John-Paul Stonard draws parallels between the Nazi regime's attack on modern art and contemporary threats to artistic freedom. He notes that the first Nazi party rally in Weimar took place in July 1926, and that both the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich were founded on ideals of art and culture. Stonard highlights the 1937 'Entartete Kunst' (Degenerate Art) exhibition in Munich, which pilloried modern art as Jewish and Bolshevist, alongside the Nazi-approved Great German Art Exhibition. He argues that censorship only amplified the message of freedom and individuality. Stonard warns that while a wholesale confiscation and destruction of art may seem impossible today, the rise of AI-generated imagery and the unpredictability of political leaders like Donald Trump create new risks. He cites Trump's proposed National Garden for American Heroes and Triumphal Arch as examples of kitsch monumental art. Stonard's book 'The Worst Exhibition in the World: Degenerate Art, 1937' is published on 5 May.