Nacht in Deutschland
Verfolgung – Zerstörung – Widerstand
('Night-time in Germany:
Persecution – Destruction – Resistance')
Night-time in Germany metaphorically describes the leaden feeling of being trapped, and the fear that haunted the creative minds that criticised the regime during the Nazi era. Not only all so-called 'degenerate art', but also any works that hinted at a rejection of the system or simply documented the disastrousness and destruction of those years were also banned.
Painting a critical picture could therefore mean a death sentence for its creator. All the more remarkable are the few works from that era that have survived to this day. Hidden and in part buried, they outlasted National Socialism and are still impressive, powerful signs of a spirit of resistance, and bear witness to unimaginable personal experiences. The Gerhard Schneider collection, accumulated over decades, includes many of these important records, most of which have never been seen by the public before.
To mark the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler on 20 July 1944, which is closely associated with Neuhardenberg Castle, the Stiftung Schloss Neuhardenberg foundation highlights this persecuted art produced in the Third Reich in a poignant cabinet exhibition. It was here, in Carl-Hans Graf von Hardenberg's home, that the members of the resistance movement, particularly those belonging to the 'Kreisau Circle', met to plan a new state order for the time after the end of the Hitler regime.
