October 5, 2020 - Droog Magazine periodical for investigative journalism

The Hitler Forgery Industry

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1968  | Hitler auction |  Certificates of Authenticity

The strange business of selling fakes, forgeries and other concoctions attributed to Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and other Nazi criminals.

Introduction

In the 1960's producing Hitlers become more and more interesting for forgers. They were greatly helped by the fact that almost nobody knew that Hitler had produced only a limited number of Viennese and Munich city views, merely drawings colored in with watercolor paint.

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Auction in Hamburg

On November, 18/19, 1968 in Hamburg one of the seven original works from the Hoffmann portfolio was auctioned by the  "Buch- und Kunstantiquariat F. Dörling." It was "Unterstand in Fournes", allegedly made by Hitler in 1915, but in all likelihood a product of a ghost artist, to create a better image of Hitler-the-artist.



The work, a colored in drawing, with on its reverse a "Nachtlass [Adolf Hitler]" stamp print, was bought by a American collector for 2,900 D-Mark. The start price was 2,000 D-mark.

The work was probably one of the three "watercolors" handed back to Anni Winter, Hitler's former housekeeper, in 1954, after these had been confiscated in 1950. Another of these three, 'Hohlweg bei Wytschaete', surfaced in 1974, with also a "Nachlass Adolf Hitler" stamp print on its reverse and a Certificate of Authenticity  naming Anni Winter as provenance. 

Sources

Adolf Hitler / Aqurelle, 1935.
https://www.bartfmdroog.com/droog/niod/hoffmann-aquarelle-hitler.html#Fournes
Catalog auction F. Dörling, 2 Hamburg 36, Neuer Wall 40, 18/19-11-1968
Hitler' van de hand voor 2900 Mark. Het Vrije Volk, 21-11-1968.
https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010956836:mpeg21:a0201

Jaap van den Born and Bart FM Droog. The Anni Winter Collection or: the miracle of the suitcase. Droog Magazine, Eenrum, 20-05-2019.

https://www.droog-mag.nl/hitler/2019/anni-winter-or-the-magic-suitcase.pdf

Jaap van den Born and Bart FM Droog. Report on the Certificates of Authenticity of Peter Jahn. Nijmegen/Eenrum, 05-10-2020. Unpublished.


© Compilation Bart FM Droog, 2020.

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