CHArt CHArt Computers and the History of Art - 1998 Conference Paper Abstract
Nazi- patronized visual culture has received increased attention in major exhibitions across Europe during the past few years. It continues to pose substantial dilemmas for academic art historians: Should it be taught/ studied/ publicly displayed, and if so under what circumstances? To by-pass its existence is to deny the aesthetic products of historical reality. To openly display it could be to create ‘meccas’ for the far right groups of today. Throughout this paper I intend to explore the nature of contemporary debates about Nazi art as an art historian who is concerned with the political influence on the nature of art and its subsequent history this century.
Using considerable personal research into the official art of this period, I propose to use a variety of media, instances and cases to explore in detail the primary issues of the presentation and representation of Nazi visual culture within collections and public access to them.
This impact upon our understanding of the wider contextual environment of the period, aspects of which receive much public attention which is reflected in the nature and content of major international collections. To understand the ethical problems that many art historians face when confronting these issues, one must first gain a sense of the place of art within the museum and public access for the Nazis themselves. This will be briefly assessed with reference to contemporary documents and other materials.
The second half of the paper will assess the impact of Internet technology and collections sites as regards the presentation and interpretation of Nazi art. Major sites/ collections would be displayed and critically evaluated in detail as an alternative to the traditional museum for the display and study of the culture. Does new technology here offer opportunities for the development of art history as a discipline, or does it lead us up a cul-de-sac of cyberspace?