Introduction to the "Divinely Gifted"
The conductor Herbert von Karajan started Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), not only once, but twice – once in Austria and once in Germany. But the famous classic musician was still celebrated as one of the greatest conductors of all time after the Second World War. Hitler’s master architect Albert Speer served in prison for 20 years due to his National Socialist past, but in the 1970s he published books on his life as Nazi, and they were very successful. Wieland Wagner, a friend of Adolf Hitler, made a name for himself in the 1950s as director of the prestigious Bayreuth Festival, which was celebrated for his innovative opera sessions.
The Impact of National Socialism on Artists
The composer Richard Strauss, the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, the sculptor Arno Breker, and Willy Meller also benefited from National Socialism and were able to resume their work after the end of the war. Their names were on the so-called list of "Divinely gifted", artists and cultural personalities that Adolf Hitler provided in August 1944 in the last phase of the Second World War. The ones on the list fell under special protection and did not have to do military service.
Germany’s Denazification Process
From 1945, people with close relationships with Hitler had to be subject to a so-called denazification process, which was led by the Allies. The aim was to remove those who had been in the Nazi party from power positions in the new post-war society. Those in public service or high-ranking experts fell under increased examination. False statements in the questionnaires – especially about the Nazi party or not – were hit with hard punishment by the Allies, especially the USA. After a two-year ban, conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler managed to demonstrate that he had never been a Nazi and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was allowed to carry out again.
Hitler’s Relationships with the Wagner Family
In the meantime, the then director of the Bayreuth Festival, Winifred Wagner, had to give up their position. The grandson of the composer Richard Wagner, Wieland Wagner, was also on Hitler’s list of preferred artists. Richard Wagner founded the prestigious Bayreuth Festival in 1872. In 1908 his son Siegfried Wagner and later his daughter-in-law Winifred Wagner took over management. The couple supported Adolf Hitler in the 1920s before he came to power. Winifred Wagner had even traveled to Munich to experience the 1923 coup.
Questionable Commissions
In 2021, an exhibition curated the list of "godly artists of National Socialism in the Federal Republic" at the German Historical Museum in Berlin. During the research, it was found that many renowned artists who were supported by the Nazis continued to have successful careers after 1945. Although the new, progressive art scene actually ignored these artists, after 1945 they still received an incredible number of well-paid commissions in public spaces, town halls, schools, theaters, and hospitals. The sculptor Willy Meller, for example, was commissioned by the Nazi party to create the large sculpture of a torchbearer for the Ordensburg Vogelsang complex. Then, after the war in 1962, he presented his sculpture "The Mourner" in the memorial hall in Oberhausen, the victims of the Nazi regime.
Dealing with the "Divinely Gifted" Today
Nowadays, Meller’s sculpture is accompanied by informative panels that explain the context. The exhibition on the list of "divine gifted" drew renewed attention to the topic. The local press urged Berlin politicians to question public work, which were produced by the artists in question after 1945 and take measures. But now, a few years later, it is regretted that the topic has largely faded into the dark and hopes that the public will be interested again. Otherwise, these artists are still honored by having their pieces in public spaces.
