Hitler’s Paintings and Sketches Sold At English Auction

It would be hard to imagine hanging art by Adolf Hitler on one’s wall, but that won’t stop military buffs and curious neighbours in Lostwithiel, England from bidding on a series of the Nazi leader’s watercolours and sketches.

The sale has received tremendous attention, forcing Jefferys Auctioneers to move proceedings. Hitler reportedly created the works during breaks from the front while he was stationed in Belgium during the First World War.

“This was not Hitler the military man or Hitler the dictator who had done these paintings and drawings,” said local observer Mike Palmer.

Most of the 21 watercolours and two sketches are landscapes and were found in a Belgian farmhouse not far from where Hitler was stationed in Flanders.

The anonymous owners had the paper tested to determine its age, confirmed the signature and matched landmarks in the paintings to sites where Hitler was posted.

“I don’t have any trouble with the auction at all,” said a local named Terry Betts. “It’s part of history, not good history maybe. But we live with dictators like that now – don’t we? – the Saddam Husseins of the world.”

The biggest source of debate is not whether selling such work is appropriate, but whether the paintings are genuine.

The experts who authenticated them in the 1980s are dead, though that won’t stop the work from going for up to $8,000 each.

“Some people would consider the sale somewhat controversial, but the pieces were executed so long ago – nearly 100 years ago – that they now just represent something of the past,” said Chris Walton, a spokesman for Jefferys. “The paintings are of historical interest rather than artistic merit.”

This isn’t the first time Hitler’s work has been sold. The Nazi leader is thought to have painted hundreds of pieces, many of which have sold from $5,000 to $50,000.

Buyers of Hitler items are typically private collectors of military memorabilia or Second World War enthusiasts.