Our Virtual Museum commemorates artists whose lives were irrevocably altered by the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of National Socialism. Their works were condemned as “degenerate,” and many were destroyed—especially those created by Jewish artists. Numerous individuals were murdered in concentration camps or psychiatric institutions. Others fled Germany or lived in internal exile. Confronted with persecution or deportation, some saw no escape and took their own lives.

As the Wehrmacht invaded neighboring countries, Jewish artists there also became victims of Nazi ideology.

After the war, many survivors returned to Germany, while others severed ties permanently, even abandoning their German names. Many were unable to regain their pre-war recognition and faded into obscurity. This was partly due to the continued influence of former Nazi officials in post-war cultural and academic institutions.

The term “Lost Generation” was coined by art historian Rainer Zimmermann in 1980. It refers not only to visual artists but also to musicians and writers whose careers were disrupted or erased.

Beginning in the 1990s, the works of these artists started to be rediscovered. Our initiative, “Lost Generation Art,” lays the groundwork for a future non-profit foundation and a dedicated museum. The collection currently includes over 100 works and continues to grow.

Our focus is not only on the artworks themselves but also on the often-overlooked lives and biographies of those persecuted by the Nazi regime. In recent years, these artists have begun to receive the recognition they deserve within the field of art history.

Since 2017, the “Art of the Lost Generation” Museum in Salzburg has been the only institution exclusively dedicated to these artists. It is a private initiative. Many of these artists still lack entries into the German Wikipedia. We actively research and reconstruct their biographies, upload them to Wikipedia, and, in the case of Jewish artists, share this information with the Central Database of Holocaust Victims at Yad Vashem.

Through this work, we aim to restore the identities of those marginalized by history and ensure they receive posthumously the recognition denied to them during their lifetimes.

Every art collector eventually faces two challenges: limited space for new paintings and uncertainty about the future of their collection. Selling is not an option for us, as each piece represents deep personal passion. Donating to a museum is equally problematic, as many works end up in storage, rarely displayed.

This is especially true for the art of the Lost Generation, which has already spent decades hidden in some archives. We believe these works must remain visible. This conviction led to the idea of establishing a non-profit foundation and opening our own museum. Realizing this vision takes time and requires meeting several conditions. Prof. Dr. Heinz Böhme’s Museum in Salzburg proves that such a project is possible. A key requirement is having a sufficient number of works.

To exhibit around 60 pieces, a collection should contain at least three times that number to allow for thematic rotation. We are excited about every new painting we find or that is being offered to us.

Our motivation stems from a deep awareness of the fates of these artists. Their stories must not be forgotten. Their art is both a memorial and a warning – it reminds us of the consequences of totalitarian ideologies and warns against politics that enable such ideas, regardless of whether they are left-wing, right-wing, or religiously motivated.

Given that there is currently no museum in Germany dedicated exclusively to artists of the Lost Generation, the answer to the question of whether we need a Museum of the Lost Generation in Karlsruhe is a clear and resounding YES!

Ardi Goldman, whose father survived the Warsaw Ghetto and Buchenwald concentration camp, has realized a project on the site of the former Union Brewery in Frankfurt am Main that commemorates the people who, at great risk to themselves and their families, protected their Jewish fellow citizens in Germany and the countries occupied by the Wehrmacht from the Gestapo and SS. The Resistance Trail, featuring 100 individuals and 18 resistance groups, is intended to show that it was possible to do something to prevent the transports to the gas chambers. This fact should give hope for the future, when it becomes necessary once again to protect an ethnic group from extermination by the henchmen of a totalitarian ideology.
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