The National WWII Museum in New Orleans will host the traveling exhibition "Degenerate! Hitler's War on Modern Art" from November 6, 2025, through May 10, 2026. Originally created by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the show examines the Nazi campaign against modern art and music, featuring over 65 original works by artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Max Beckmann, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall. It explores how modernist art was labeled "degenerate" by the Third Reich, used as propaganda, and systematically suppressed, with many works seized, destroyed, or sold. The exhibition also expands into music, highlighting the suppression of jazz and works by Jewish composers.
This exhibition matters because it connects a dark chapter of 20th-century history to ongoing debates about artistic freedom, censorship, and the political weaponization of culture. By presenting original artworks alongside historical documents and musical artifacts, it offers a visceral understanding of how totalitarian regimes target creative expression. The show also underscores the resilience of artists who continued to work underground, and it serves as a timely reminder of the fragility of cultural liberties in the face of ideological extremism.