DALMI-HAM-S2017-03

Der Berliner Kunstmarkt: an analysis of the Berlin Art Market, 1930-1945

by Eric Davis, Caroline Frank, Jason Kaplan, & Ashlynn Miller (2017)

Abstract:

The Getty Research Institute’s recent publication of German auction sales catalogues between 1930 and 1945 allows for original research on the Third Reich’s influence on art markets across Germany. With a mission to control every aspect of German life, Hitler’s Nazi Party attempted to regulate German culture as it saw best fit. The government was therefore divided into several chambers which oversaw certain aspects of daily life, more specifically the Reich Chamber of Film, Reich Chamber of Music, Reich Chamber of Fine Arts, and so on. This extreme supervision created a unique playing field in Germany, as the government was ultimately commanding the direction in which any product market could develop. This paper focuses specifically on Berlin’s art market as it developed between 1930 and 1945. The sections of this paper analyze the Getty’s sales data for auctions in Berlin, and are separated into three main categories: year, auction house, and artist nationality. This paper takes both an analytical and contextual approach while exploring Berlin’s art market during the Third Reich. Key findings include the inverse relationship between median selling price and number of paintings sold in several years, the overlap and tight-knit relationship between many auction houses, and the reflection of Nazi preferences with regards to specific artists’ nationalities on the art market.

Keywords 
Art Markets, Berlin, Nazi regime, Third Reich, Auction Houses

JEL Classification:
Z1 

 

 

 

 

 

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