“Kunst und Faschismus” Book Presentation

The opening event of our series on "Art and Fascism" brought a full house for a conversation on the new volume Ergänzungen und Eingriffe. Zur Geschichte der Akademie der bildenden Künste 1930 bis 1960, edited by Eduard Freudmann, Jakob Krameritsch, Michael Lunardi and Ruth Sonderegger (Mandelbaum Verlag, 2025).

Moderated by Laura Bohnenblust and Friederike Sigler, the discussion with co-editor Jakob Krameritsch and contributor Christina Wieder traced transformations at the Academy under Austrofascism and National Socialism and the continuities into the postwar period.

Key points included how institutional policies and networks shaped art production between 1930 and 1960 and how post-1945 ambivalences around denazification and the “Austrian victim” narrative affected postwar modernism. Methodologically, the discussion emphasized interdisciplinary collaboration; the incorporation of artistic and literary interventions as forms of historiography; the need to address archival gaps; and a critical revisiting of canon and personnel.

A lively Q&A broadened the conversation to current research desiderata and links to the Institute of Art History. The evening concluded with drinks and pizza.

The next event in the series will follow on 28 May 2026.

Friederike Sigler, Jakob Krameritsch, Christina Wieder and Laura Bohnenblust.