Haus der Kunst, Munich

The Haus der Kunst is an art museum that was constructed during the era of the Third Reich. It was built to exemplify Nazi architecture and to serve as a tool for Nazi propaganda. Today, it functions as a venue for trade shows and visiting art exhibitions, and it also houses a popular upscale nightclub known as P1.

Architect Paul Ludwig Troost was the mastermind behind the design of the Haus der Kunst, and its construction took place between 1933 and 1937. The museum's inaugural major exhibition was the Grosse Deutsche Kunstausstellung, or the Great German Art Exhibition, which showcased artworks that the Third Reich regarded as the finest examples of German art. Remarkably, unlike many other buildings in Munich, the museum survived the World War II bombings with minimal damage. After the war, it was occupied by the United States and allied forces and used as an officer's mess.

The museum's original purpose during the Third Reich is still evident in the presence of swastika motifs on the ceiling and the portico. In 1946, it was repurposed as a museum once again, and the large exhibition halls were divided into smaller rooms. The first significant exhibition held after the Nazi era occurred in 1949 and featured the works of contemporary artists such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Braque, and others, who had been banned by the Nazi regime. This exhibition aimed to break away from the past when contemporary art had been condemned as "degenerate art."