In the summer of 1939, the Kunstmuseum acquired twenty-one outstanding works of German and French Modernism. Denounced as « degenerate », they have been forcibly removed from German museums in 1937 in pursuance of Nazi cultural policy, then categorized as « internationally salable » and sold through the art market.
The exhibition sheds light on the various aspects of this turning point in the history of the collection of the museum’s collection. It interweaves the widely told and popular story of how these treasures were saved with a closer look at the contemporary debates within society over a business transaction with a dictatorial regime. The works purchased in 1939 are shown in their historic context, appearing side by side with other major works of German Expressionism from museums and private collections all over the world. Another key section of the presentation investigates the fates of works that feature in the history of the Basel acquisitions yet are now considered destroyed or missing.
