Paintings hung at the Berghof.

[Geoff Walden]

Hi Kunstler,

I'm convinced you have hit it dead on, about the Panninis. While Googling Pannini (it's also Panini) I ran across the following article that I hadn't seen, that has a LOT of info on the Berghof paintings and Hitler's art collection in general.

http://www.faz.net/s/RubEBED639C476B407 ... ntent.html

Of interest to this discussion is the fate of some of the Berghof paintings, and how they got to be where they are today. They were mostly stored in the air raid tunnels, and not hidden elsewhere, apparently because Bormann always planned for the Obersalzberg to be Hitler's "final stand." However, when Hitler's secretary Christa Schroeder was ordered to the Obersalzberg from Berlin in April 1945, she took it on herself to save some of the paintings (and also items like Eva Braun's table silver etc.) by shipping them to an SS art storage point at Schloß Fischhorn in Pinzgau. These included Bordone's "Venus et Amor" (I was wrong on the "Venus et Cupid" speculation) and one of Pannini's Roman Ruins works, and also a Tintoretto.

The two works by Bordone and Pannini ended up in the National Museum in Warsaw, where they are today, apparently because Pinzgau was a collection point for some of the art plundered by the Nazis in Poland, and these two works (maybe others?) just got sent to Poland with the rest, after the war.

Here is a picture of the Pannini in Warsaw now - this is the same painting that can be seen hanging in the Berghof Wintergarten (sunroom) in period photos.

Christa Schroeder also saved the Feuerbach "Nanna" (it seems to be spelled with two n's) herself. She took it when she fled the Berchtesgaden area, and it was taken from her when she ended up in detention in Mannheim/Seckenheim. It was taken to the Allied Art Collection Point in Wiesbaden, and it eventually ended up as German government property. Today it is located in the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte in Dortmund. (This is the one that I posted a photo of above.)

Other items of interest in the FAZ article - Hitler's library collection in the Library of Congress in Washington DC contains an illustrated catalog of Hitler's personal art collection, which is apparently mostly the Berghof collection. This is the first I had heard of this catalog - this book would doubtless answer many of our questions! (Is anyone planning a trip to Washington soon? ) In the National Archives are two listings of Hitler's art collection that he had in his Munich apartment (Prinzregentenstraße). One of these is "Honigdieb" ("Honey Thief") by Lucas Cranach - this is now in the National Gallery in London. The article also has some interesting statements about how some of the artwork collected by the Allies in 1945 ended up in private hands.

Geoff

[Geoff Walden]

Here is another painting that must have been a Pannini, that was sometimes on the west wall of the Berghof Great Hall. This is a poor picture - only one I've seen (a crop from a photo in Arndt's "Hitler's Berghof"). It looks like it might show the Coliseum - similar to this other Pannini I found online.

Geoff

[Geoff Walden]

The other ruins painting that usually hung on the west wall, near the bust of Dietrich Eckart, looked something like this Pannini that I found online, so I think it's a very safe bet to assume that all these ruins paintings were Panninis.

Geoff

[Geoff Walden]

Back to the east wall ...

Here are enlargements that I scanned from a period postcard. These are the items I have shown as #3-5 in my list. Painting #5 doesn't add much here - it still looks like a still life to me, and the fruit might be apples, but it's not clear at all.

I'm hoping this detail of #3 might help someone identify it. At this resolution, it looks like a woman holding something in her hand, looking up over her shoulder at a nude child in a tree above her.

Geoff

[Geoff Walden]

Hitler's paintings not only moved around inside the Berghof - they also moved around between Munich and the Obersalzberg.

[Edit - This is mistaken - the view below was taken in the Berghof on 15 September 1938 when Neville Chamberlain and Nevile Henderson visited Hitler at the Berghof - it was not taken later that month during the Munich Accords. See notes by Biber and myself later in this thread. GRW]

While looking for something else entirely, I ran across this photo today and the artwork caught my eye. This is a scene taken in Munich during the negotiations for the Munich Accords in September 1939 (I think it was taken in Hitler's apartment on Prinzregentenplatz).

On the wall behind the guy standing next to Julius Schaub is the (presumed) Pannini view of the Coliseum, that I showed in color above when it was in the Berghof Great Hall. (And the other painting in this photo looks like another Italian ruins theme ... presumably another Pannini.)

Geoff

[Annelie]

Here is made mention of an newly acquired painting

http://www.506infantry.org/his3rdbnwwiimemo15.html

but one wonders which one it was?

[Annelie]

Here is a link http://www.greyfalcon.us/The%20Berghof.htm

to an 1938 Homes and Gardens which mentions Hitler's home wiith various photos.

[Johnnyrocket]

I love this thread.
Thanks...
Johnny R.

[Biber]

Hitler's paintings not only moved around inside the Berghof - they also moved around between Munich and the Obersalzberg.

While looking for something else entirely, I ran across this photo today and the artwork caught my eye. This is a scene taken in Munich during the negotiations for the Munich Accords in September 1939 (I think it was taken in Hitler's apartment on Prinzregentenplatz).

On the wall behind the guy standing next to Julius Schaub is the (presumed) Pannini view of the Coliseum, that I showed in color above when it was in the Berghof Great Hall. (And the other painting in this photo looks like another Italian ruins theme ... presumably another Pannini.)

Geoff

But isn't that Berghof furniture in the photo? Sure looks like it to me.

B

[Kunstler]

Hi Biber,
I can see why you might think that as many of the official buildings were furnished in the contemporary style, and the grand hall of the Berghof was similarly furnished.

While reading through the link that Geoff posted above it struck me how despite enduring the imminent the collapse of the Reich individuals were still attempting to save works of art from the Berghof.

It's quite hard for me to restrict myself entirely to paintings that only hung in the Berghof as the title of this post suggests, simply because as I search I find more interesting examples of the type of art chosen by Hitler himself to adorn various buildings!
Getting ahead of myself slightly then for a moment by moving out of the great hall, but still within the Berghof is another painting known to have hung at there, it was reputedly a portrait of Eva Braun and it hung in her bedroom. Perhaps someone will know the Artist? I also believe this painting still exists.



I have collected various images from the web over several years, and due to my poor recollection of their origin I am unable to attribute the source in many cases. I hope for the purposes of this discussion I can be forgiven should I post materiel unattributed.

The following shows Hitler in his first floor study, these are Hoffman shots and some have been enlarged from a thumbnail and so are very poor, but for an indication of how artwork was distributed throughout the Berghof they are sufficient...unless anyone can help out with better images?



On the wall behind the Fuhrer is a painting that may be the 'King henry' that is often seen to the left of the fireplace in the great hall. The following three are too poor to identify the subject of the painting except perhaps the first of them - Dietrich Eckhart?







The photo below shows another painting presented to Hitler on the occasion of his birthday April 20th 1944.
The presentation appears to be held in the dining room, one wonders if the painting was ever hung as Hitler left the Berghof for the last time just a few months later. Again, as yet I am unable to identify the painting.



As I mentioned earlier it's hard for me not to digress on this subject and here is another example of this. The picture below was taken in Hitler's private quarters in either the Braun Haus or the Fuhrerbau, (certainly one of the Munich buildings). What caught my eye was the painting on the wall, I recognise the photograph that it was painted from but have never seen the actual painting of this other than on a small postcard, also note the art magazine on the desk!

[Biber]

Isn't that last picture of AH giving a speech the same one that hung on the wall with the microphone in it in Klink's office in Hogan's heroes?

Hi Biber,
I can see why you might think that as many of the official buildings were furnished in the contemporary style, and the grand hall of the Berghof was similarly furnished. ...

No I'm pretty certain that's the Berghof note the style of chairs and the wall-bench behind them. That would be the chairs and table infront of the fire place. And given the topic of the Munich accords it isn't unreasonable that it's probably the Berghof.

B

[wolfpaw518]

Over the years I have come across photos of the young artist Hitlers drawings/paintings on the web. (I thought they were rather good myself.) I've read that his weakness in art was that he could not do people, one reason he was not accepted into Art school in Vienna. Interesting that most of his collection is of people.

[majorplm]

As I mentioned earlier it's hard for me not to digress on this subject and here is another example of this. The picture below was taken in Hitler's private quarters in either the Braun Haus or the Fuhrerbau, (certainly one of the Munich buildings). What caught my eye was the painting on the wall, I recognise the photograph that it was painted from but have never seen the actual painting of this other than on a small postcard, also note the art magazine on the desk!

[/quote]


Hello,

This last picture come from Hitler privat appartment in Munich located in Prinzregentenplatz.

In front of the art magazine (Die Kunst im Deutschen Reich) you can see the deer sculptur from Joseph Pallenberg (1882-1946), it reminds me a story in 1999, I was with my best friend in Munich and we met a collector who had the bronze deer from the Kurt Berlinghoff estate, I had no money that day, so my friend bought it.

All the best,

Philippe

[Kunstler]

Isn't that last picture of AH giving a speech the same one that hung on the wall with the microphone in it in Klink's office in Hogan's heroes?B

Lol! I can't answer that I'm afraid it's a long time since that show was aired I think.

It's entirely possible that the 'Munich' photo could be the Berghof, the only thing that makes me doubt that it is, is that in the Berghof the outer fixed seating had a 'plush' effect, that is to say it was buttoned. the one in the photo appears plain.



This would be a similar view to the Munich one below it.




I find this stuff fascinating!
Philippe thank you for confirming the location of the 'tribune' painting, I just wasn't sure at all.

So here I go off on a tangent again with another painting I came across which was chosen by Hitler and hung in the Neu Reichskanzlei. Again one could question why on earth this particular painting appealed to Hitler enough to hang it in a state building? What facet of his complicated personality did this one touch?

There is a photo extant (which unfortunately I don't possess) showing Hitler in conversation standing in front of this painting. The title of this work is "The isle of the dead" by Arnold Bocklin.



As with other paintings there were several versions of this one, here is another.

[Biber]

...It's entirely possible that the 'Munich' photo could be the Berghof, the only thing that makes me doubt that it is, is that in the Berghof the outer fixed seating had a 'plush' effect, that is to say it was buttoned. the one in the photo appears plain.

Hard to tell, it's so dark and there's a pillow in the way

...
So here I go off on a tangent again with another painting I came across which was chosen by Hitler and hung in the Neu Reichskanzlei. Again one could question why on earth this particular painting appealed to Hitler enough to hang it in a state building? What facet of his complicated personality did this one touch?

One can certainly imagine it could have been something like the dark and brooding Valhall-like shrine (cue music)...

B