When art becomes a threat, who decides what survives?
In 1937, the Nazi regime launched its war on modernity, branding artists like Picasso, Chagall, Van Gogh, and Matisse as “degenerate”. Their works were banned, destroyed, or mocked in grotesque exhibitions, while Aryan ideals were glorified in state-sponsored shows. Framed by a major new exhibition at the Musée Picasso in Paris, the documentary revisits this ideological assault through rare footage, suppressed artworks, and the voices of curators and survivors. It broadens its scope to music, literature, and architecture, exposing how the Reich targeted all forms of dissenting expression. A timely meditation on repression, resistance, and the enduring fight for creative freedom.
Director
Simona Risi
Writers
Arianna Marelli, Didi Gnocchi, Sabina Fedeli
Simon Foster
5/1/2026
"Simona Rossi has made a film that speaks to two very specific moments in modern human history. One, the mid-1930s, when far right fascism surged, fuelled by a tyrannical despot stoking oppressive nationalism and aligning the arts with his socio-political agenda. The other… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️" READ the full review: https://bit.ly/4unetaR
