Documentary film ‘Degenerate Art’ to be shown at ISU Continuing Ed Building on Nov. 11

A panel discussion will follow.

“Entartete Kunst” (Degenerate Art) was the title of an infamous art exhibition mounted by the Nazis in Munich in 1937 as a means of defaming the works of Germany’s and Europe’s most compelling modern artists.

Based on a 1991 Los Angeles County Museum of Art reconstruction of the original installation, this 60-minute documentary brings to life the historical context of the 1937 exhibition and examines the far-reaching effects of the Nazis’ vilification of avant-garde art in Germany.

A panel of scholars and community members, led by art historian and ISU art department affiliate faculty Linda Leeuwrik, will discuss the film and the historical period represented in it from various different perspectives.

The panelists will consider the broader issues of the fate and use of cultural property during war – the looting and destruction of art, as well as the use of images from both high art and popular culture as propaganda – and attempt to relate these issues to more current conflicts, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

New Knowledge Adventures invites the public in honoring veterans at this community event, one of several this fall exploring the topic of saving a society’s culture during war.

A reception will be held immediately following the panel discussion.

For more information, please call the Office of Continuing Education/Workforce Training at 282-3155.