Otto Antoine – was a German Impressionist painter and a distant relative of mine. Antoine’s life intersected with many key parts of artistic and political history – having connections with Kaiser Wilhelm II – prior to WWI, as a court painter. And later having some interactions with 3rd Reich in the 1930’s , with their cultural dictates that had to be adhered to by German artists. And we'll discuss his rebellious activities that almost cost him his life. Also during the 1930’s – we'll talk about his travels to visit my family and his distant relatives in Indiana. And there’s still a bit if mystery around those trips which we’ll detail.
His art included all aspects of Germany - including romantic landscapes and especially paintings of Berlin, and the many beautiful architectural aspects of that city - lost during WW2.
We'll also add some brief discussion around the very coordinated efforts of the Nazi's, to confiscate some of the most precious artworks in Europe, throughout the 1930's up until the end of WW2. And this did include some of Antoine's works.
See below - various links and resources mentioned in this episode:
Two books:
Art, Ideology, & Economics in Nazi Germany:
The Reich Chamber of Music, Theater, and the Visual Arts
Author: Alan E. Stevens
Publisher: Chapel Hill
The Faustian Bargain:
The Art World in Nazi Germany
Author: Jonathan Petropoulos
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Website and information for Todd Barrowcliff (documentation + images on Otto Antoine):
Link Here
Monuments Men and Women Foundation
Link Here
Website: peoplehiddeninhistory.com
Direct link
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