The conflict between National Socialism and Ernst Barlach, one of the important sculptors of the twentieth century, is an unusual episode in the history of Hitler's efforts to rid Germany of 'international modernism'. Barlach did not passively accept the confiscation and destruction of his sculptures. He protested the injustice, and continued his work. The author's discussion of Barlach's art and struggle over creative freedom are joined to an analysis of the motives and tactics of Barlach's opponents. Hitler's rejection of modernism, often dismissed as absurd ranting, is instead interpreted as a internally consistent and politically effective critique of liberal Western culture. That some radical national socialists nevertheless advocated a 'Nordic modernism' and tried to win Barlach over indicates the cultural cross-currents running through the early years of the Third Reich. Peter Paret's closely focused study of an artist in a time of crisis seamlessly combines the history of modern Germany and the history of modern art.

"...an important intellectual biography of a nonpolitical artist who was forced to become a dissident, but also a lens by which to view the evolution of Hitler's war against abstract art." The Weekly Standard"[Paret] succinctly assesses the artist's threat to the Nazi agenda - in particular, by setting Barlach's spare, mournful monuments to World War I against popular tributes to the invincible Reich. Wholly compelling yet never celebratory, Paret's account grants for Barlach his long-due regard in English." Publishers Weekly"[T]he historian Peter Paret's Artist Against the Third Reich sheds much light on the tortured evolution of Nazi policy." New York Times"As a book about process, as a case study in totalitarianism and a vignette of the crucial relationship between nationalism and war, it has a resonance--and a relevance--far greater than its own modest length." New York Sun"Paret's effort to weave together the story of a single artistic career while interpreting the history of the Third Reich offers an eminently readable narrative and a potential model to scholars working on related material." CAA Reviews"Concise, authoritative, with a style accessible to undergraduates, the book would be a good choice to assign in courses on the Third Reich." H-GERMAN Digest"[A]n excellent contribution to our understanding of the nature of personal and artistic crosscurrent in the German totalitarian environment.... Highly recommended." Choice

Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-187) and index.

The conflict between National Socialism and the sculptor Ernst Barlach, and the ideological battle involved.

List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Hitler; 2. Barlach; 3. Nordic modernism; 4. The hounding of Barlach; 5. German and un-German art; 6. After the fact; A note on the literature; Notes; Documents and works cited; Index.