The Reichskunstwart (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: Imperial Art Protector) was an official position within the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

, which was concerned with artistic matters and other regulatory issues. It mediated between regulators and artists. Its official address was Berlin NW 40, Platz der Republik 6. The role also covered monitoring the aesthetic quality of the new currency, lags, stamps and other such emblematic creations of the Weimar state. When the post was announced, a number of people were suggested including Ernst Grisebach,

Wilhelm Worringer Wilhelm Robert Worringer (13 January 1881 in Aachen – 29 March 1965 in Munich) was a German art historian known for his theories about Abstraction, abstract art and its relation to avant-garde movements such as German Expressionism. Through his i ...

, Wilhelm Valentiner. However on 29 December 1919, Edwin Redslob was appointed to the post. His investiture occurred on 1 July 1920. On 27 February 1933, the new Minister of the Interior,

Wilhelm Frick Wilhelm Frick (12 March 1877 – 16 October 1946) was a German prominent politician of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and convicted war criminal who served as Minister of the Interior in Adolf Hitler's cabinet from 1933 to 1943 and as the last governor ...

, ordered the immediate dismissal of Redslob. The duties of the position were transferred to the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.Christian Welzbacher. "Ohne Symbole geht es nicht – Vor 75 Jahren entließen die Nazis den republikanischen "Reichskunstwart" Edwin Redslob," ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'', 1 March 2008

References

Bibliography

* Annegret Heffen: ''Der Reichskunstwart. Kunstpolitik in den Jahren 1920–1933. Zu den Bemühungen um eine offizielle Reichskunstpolitik in der Weimarer Republik'', Verlag Die Blaue Eule, Essen 1986, (''Historie in der Blauen Eule'' 3) * Gisbert Laube: ''Der Reichskunstwart. Geschichte einer Kulturbehörde 1919–1933'', Lang, Frankfurt am Main u. a. 1997, (''Rechtshistorische Reihe'' 164), (Zugleich: Kiel, Univ., Diss., 1997) * Christian Welzbacher: ''Der Reichskunstwart. Kulturpolitik und Staatsinszenierung in der Weimarer Republik 1918–1933'', Weimarer Verlagsgesellschaft, Weimar 2010, Weimar culture Cultural politics {{cultural-poli-stub