Exhibition View. The Journey of the Paintings. Hitler’s Cultural Policy, the Art Trade and Storage Operations in the Salzkammergut in the Nazi Era, 2024 Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz Image: Violetta Wakolbinger
During World War II more than any other region in Austria, the Salzkammergut was a transit point and storage location for outstanding works of European art history, including those stolen by the Nazis. Adolf Hitler ordered the works of art planned for the Führermuseum in Linz to be kept in the salt mine at Altaussee including the famous Schack Collection from Munich.
With 80 paintings and other objects, the exhibition traces the tortuous paths followed by a selection of masterpieces dating from the 8th to the 20th centuries by artists such as Arnold Böcklin, Lovis Corinth, Anthony van Dyck, Francisco Goya, Jacob Jordaens, Max Liebermann, Edvard Munch, Jacob van Ruisdael, Moritz von Schwind, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Titian, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, and others.
Also on display is the historic model of the Ghent Altarpiece that Germany had to retrocede to Belgium in 1919 as compensation for the damage inflicted on Belgian heritage. The critical installation “Ruinenwert” by German artist Henrike Naumann adds a contemporary perspective to the exhibition.
