A watercolor by Nazi madman Adolf Hitler, given to the caretaker of the fuhrer’s country home he shared with Eva Braun, has sold for $20,000 in a Maryland auction, the latest proof that Third Reich artifacts remain red hot among collectors.
The painting of a scene in Vienna is signed by Hitler, who fancied himself an artist, though his lack of proper perspectives prompted his rejection from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.
It was sold by Alexander Historical Auctions of Maryland, one of the nation’s leading sellers of historical artifacts and World War II items.
Alexander President Bill Panagopulos told Secrets, “Hitler was an awful artist with a terrible sense of perspective, but his paintings are still highly sought after because they’re so contrary to the incredible evil he brought forth later in life.”
Hitler’s signature on the painting.
He said the watercolor shows St. Michael’s Church and the outline of a man.
From the official description in Alexander’s catalog:
“Hitler drew some of the elements, mainly architectural lines, in pencil, and used earth tone washes for coloration with black lines to accentuate details. As is almost always the case with Hitler’s works, his perspective is not accurate with buildings not bearing the correct scale and angles for their location. Particularly telling are his renditions of the human form — faces are never shown, torso and limb lengths are incorrect, and the perspective employed in the placement of the figures is incorrect.”
Hitler at the Berghof wedding of the home’s caretaker.
The painting was given to the caretaker of the Berghof as a wedding present.
But it wasn’t given by Hitler. Instead, it was given to Herbert Dohring’s bride by a chambermaid.
Hitler did attend their wedding at the Berghof, where many Nazi policies were hatched and where Hitler also entertained visiting British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
