Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945

Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945: Masterworks from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin traces the German experience in modern art from the early twentieth century avant-gardes resisting the conservative imperial government, through the great artistic diversity of the democratic Weimar Republic, to the reactions from the artistic community against the National Socialist (Nazi) dictatorship. Some artists adapted to the regime in power, some fled the country, and others boldly resisted, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

This exhibition tells the story of powerful works of art, many of which were on display in the 1937 exhibition Degenerate Art where the National Socialists condemned modern art and ideas, or were created in response to that exhibition. Paintings and sculptures by major German artists including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, George Grosz, Max Beckmann, Hannah Höch, and Paul Klee are juxtaposed with other experimental European artists of the period including Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Giorgio de Chirico, and Salvador Dalí. The exhibition is organized by the Neue Nationalgalerie-SMB and is accompanied by a catalog. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Media coverage:

Modern Art from Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie on Major US Tour press release by the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin about the US tour, 3/27/25

‘Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945: Masterworks from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin’ Review: Capturing Seismic Shifts, Wall Street Journal review of exhibition at the Kimbell Art Museum, 5/10/25

Modern Art and Politics In Germany 1910-1945 Exhibit Comes to Albuquerque Museum, Table Magazine, 8/5/25

Political Propaganda and the Palette, Santa Fe New Mexican Pasatiempo, 8/22/25

Public Programs

Download a PDF Version of the Program Schedule.

Thursday, August 28, 6 pm

Chatter Concert Series: This program features “Lyric Suite” for string quartet by Alban Berg, alongside the “Divertimento” for clarinet and string quartet by Mátyás Seiber. A Hungarian composer who later lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Seiber was the director of the jazz program at Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt.  The program offered the first academic jazz courses anywhere before it was closed by the Nazis in 1933, precipitating Seiber’s departure from Germany.   

Sunday, September 14, 2 pm

Lecture: Writing under Fascism. Albuquerque poet and social analyst Margaret Randall explores the ways in which writers in different countries have borne witness to and chronicled state-imposed terrorism over the past seventy years. This lecture will include a reading of poems by diverse voices, with historic context provided by Randall, and Q&A to follow. Included with Museum admission.

Wednesday, September 17, 5:30 pm

Dr. Armin Rembe Memorial Lecture: “An Inside Look at Albuquerque Museum’s International Exhibitions” by Andrew Connors, Albuquerque Museum Director. Doors at La Quinta Library at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm open at 4:30pm. More information here.

Saturday, September 27, 4-7pm

Garden Party: Join the Albuquerque Museum Foundation for a convivial autumn afternoon inspired by the exhibition's bold artistic movements and cultural legacy. Hosted in the spectacular gardens of the North Valley, Los Ranchos. Tickets: $250 per person. More information here.

Thursday, October 16, 5 – 8:30 pm

Third Thursday: Enjoy a special performance of Willkommen to the Kabarett—Where the Past Winks at the Present by 3 on a Match International Kabarett Ensemble. Step into a world of music, mischief, and mayhem, inspired by the rebellious spirit of European Kabarett from the 1920s and 30s. Expect a night of biting satire, dark humor, and melodies that linger long after the last note fades. Free admission.

Saturday, December 6, 2:00 pm

Lecture: "Modern Art, Politics, and Music in Germany: Part 1" German art history is little known in the United States compared to that of other European nations, although music by greats such as Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, Weil, and Richard Strauss is internationally renowned.  In this illustrated lecture with examples of recorded music, Museum Director Andrew Connors will introduce the modern era of German visual art, music, and film focusing on the 19th century through the 1920s. Included with Museum admission.

Saturday, January 3, 2026, 2:00 pm

Lecture: "Modern Art, Politics, and Music in Germany: Part 2" German arts during the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) blossomed with many significant visual, musical, and film artists creating ground-breaking innovations.  Inspired by the paintings and sculptures in the Modern Art and Politics exhibition, this lecture by Museum Director Andrew Connors introduces music and performing arts extending through the end of World War II, a period of complete upheaval characterized by promotion of new ideologies, and suppression of much that came before. Included with Museum admission.

The Museum thanks the Albuquerque kaffee community for supporting this exhibition. Enjoy a special coffee cup sleeve when ordering a hot beverage for takeaway at the Cottonwood Cafe and the Shark Reef Cafe at the ABQ BioPark; Three Sisters Kitchen at Explora; the Farm Shop at Los Poblanos; Bike In Coffee at the Old Town Farm; Cutbow Coffee; Los Ranchos Bakery & Coffee House; Black Bird Coffee House; and Ihatov Bread & Coffee.

Top image:
Christian Schad, Sonja, 1928, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 23.5 in., © Neue Nationalgalerie, Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin