Bundesarchiv Bild 102-08205, Edwin Redslob

The Reichskunstwart (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: Imperial Art Protector) was an official position within the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...

, which was concerned with artistic matters and other regulatory issues. It mediated between regulators and artists. Its official address was Berlin NW 40, Platz der Republik 6. The role also covered monitoring the aesthetic quality of the new currency, lags, stamps and other such emblematic creations of the Weimar state. When the post was announced, a number of people were suggested including Ernst Grisebach,

Wilhelm Worringer Wilhelm Robert Worringer (13 January 1881 in Aachen – 29 March 1965 in Munich) was a German art historian known for his theories about abstract art and its relation to avant-garde movements such as German Expressionism. Through his influence o ...

Wilhelm Valentiner William Reinhold Valentiner (May 2, 1880 – September 6, 1958) was a German-American art historian, art critic and museum administrator. He was educated and trained in Europe, first working at the Mauritshuis in The Hague and at museums in Berli ...

. However on 29 December 1919,

Edwin Redslob Edwin Redslob (22 September 1884, Weimar – 24 January 1973, West Berlin) was a German art historian who served as Reichskunstwart under the Weimar Republic. Appointed in 1920, he was the only person to fulfil this role as the position was abolis ...

was appointed to the post. His investiture occurred on 1 July 1920. On 27 February 1933, the new Minister of the Interior,

Wilhelm Frick Wilhelm Frick (12 March 1877 – 16 October 1946) was a prominent German politician of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), who served as Reich Minister of the Interior in Adolf Hitler's cabinet from 1933 to 1943 and as the last governor of the Protectorate ...

, ordered the immediate dismissal of Redslob. The duties of the position were transferred to the

Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (; RMVP), also known simply as the Ministry of Propaganda (), controlled the content of the press, literature, visual arts, film, theater, music and radio in Nazi Germany. The ministry ...

.Christian Welzbacher. "Ohne Symbole geht es nicht – Vor 75 Jahren entließen die Nazis den republikanischen "Reichskunstwart" Edwin Redslob," ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'', 1 March 2008

References

Bibliography

* Annegret Heffen: ''Der Reichskunstwart. Kunstpolitik in den Jahren 1920–1933. Zu den Bemühungen um eine offizielle Reichskunstpolitik in der Weimarer Republik'', Verlag Die Blaue Eule, Essen 1986, (''Historie in der Blauen Eule'' 3) * Gisbert Laube: ''Der Reichskunstwart. Geschichte einer Kulturbehörde 1919–1933'', Lang, Frankfurt am Main u. a. 1997, (''Rechtshistorische Reihe'' 164), (Zugleich: Kiel, Univ., Diss., 1997) * Christian Welzbacher: ''Der Reichskunstwart. Kulturpolitik und Staatsinszenierung in der Weimarer Republik 1918–1933'', Weimarer Verlagsgesellschaft, Weimar 2010, Weimar culture Cultural politics {{cultural-poli-stub