The National WWII Museum in New Orleans has opened a special exhibit titled 'Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art,' on loan from the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and running through May 10, 2026. The exhibit features over 65 works by artists deemed 'degenerate' by the Nazi regime, including Wassily Kandinsky, Max Beckmann, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall, alongside documents and artifacts that explore how modernist art was suppressed and weaponized as propaganda. The museum has expanded the original exhibit to include a focus on suppressed music, featuring instruments from the era, such as a tenor saxophone played by Eddie Powers and a clarinet played by George Lewis, on loan from the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
The exhibit matters because it sheds light on a lesser-known front of World War II—the Nazi cultural war against modernism, creativity, and individuality—and highlights the resilience of artists and musicians who continued to create under oppression. By connecting historical censorship to contemporary issues of artistic freedom, the show serves as a powerful reminder of how art can be targeted by authoritarian regimes, making it relevant for audiences today. It also underscores the role of museums in preserving and presenting suppressed cultural histories, fostering dialogue about the value of free expression.