Forbidden to take a selfie with a picture of Hitler

The first anthological exhibition organized to date on the drawing of the Third Reich is open Sunday in Den Bosch, in the Dutch city, at the heart of a controversy. Presented by the Design Museum, it addresses the formation of Nazi identity through the power of its symbols. No photo can be taken inside to avoid selfies next to Hitler's image. Security has been strengthened and the Young Communist Movement of the Netherlands and the Union of Anti-Fascists intend to demonstrate against "so that the culture of national socialism is not glorified". A local artist laid a carpet with a swastika on the doors of the room.

The Volkswagen Beetle, the city car, in familiar language, designed by Hitler and signed in 1938 by the engineer Ferdinand Porsche, presides over the show, which does not waste time. Hitler appears on well-targeted, illuminated and retouched photos, with slogans such as "A people, an empire, a leader", designed to promote the idea of ​​eternity in the national unity. Other pictures are much more direct, if possible, like that of his head on a black background accompanied only by his surname and the supposed magnetic effect of his look. Or a uniform poses next to a blunt "Yes". "They sum up the aesthetic of Hitler's brand image, designed to make it a leader. He needed a wide design concept for different audiences. The message was always the same, anti-Semitism being a currency controlled by power, but it suggested diversity to attract young and old, "said historian Thomas van den Heuvel, involved in editing the # 39; exposure.

The three faces of Hitler are hung framed in front of a showcase with swastika ways, and the museum has increased the number of guards so that no one, especially a neo-Nazi, can reproduce them. There is no sale of souvenirs in the store, and the address will also follow social networks, in case snapshots or comments are out of context. Inside, the exhibition includes, among others, a copy of Mein Kampf, Hitler's autobiography; cards that "Germanise" parts of Poland to annex or banners carrying this urgent call: "Germany, wake up". The torch of the Berlin Olympics (1936) is in a showcase "and is an example of the return to glory of the past to use the present, because the Nazi design includes neoclbadical buildings with the latest technical advances, the large buffet of Hitler, who should impress. "

Timo de Rijk, director of the museum, emphasizes the concern not to fall into pure propaganda. "As historians, We try to understand how the project, financed by the state, served a malignant ideology. Such a sample could not have been organized in Germany, it is too controversial. But 75 years have pbaded since the liberation of Holland by the Allies, and we are in the right place. We were invaded by the Nazis in 1940 and many people have not yet lived through the Second World War. However, Nazism is one of the most marked events of the twentieth century. This has shaped our notion of right and wrong, and many discussions about identity are taking place today, "he said. Grateful to his Germanic colleagues for his support, he indicates that it "is the first anthological exhibition devoted to Nazi design from a historical point of view". Among others, "the German Historical Museum (Berlin) and the City Museum (Munich), two unique collections, have produced essential works, as well as Dutch and private loans."

The purity of the race proclaimed by the Third Reich in its graphic designs implied the eradication of whole population groups, and while the regime seemed stable, concentration camps have been prepared. "We talked with the Jewish community and also with the town hall. The former Den Bosch synagogue stands in front of the museum and the exhibition ends with the design of the gas chambers. With the holocaust. A convinced Nazi will say that it's a lie, but that when you leave, you will see the synagogue confront the real story and it's a form of justice, "De Rijk says.