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August 22, 2021, updated 26-08-2021.

The Hitler Forgery Industry

to Hitler Forgery Industry main page - to Droog Magazine

2013  |

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

24-03-2013: 1 fake Hitler in Slovakia
21-05-2013: 2 fake Hitlers at UK auction
21-08-2013: 5 fake Hitlers at UK auction
15-11-2013: 2 fake Hitlers in Germany
??-12-2013: 1 fake Hitler in Ireland


Exchange rates / value of money 2013




24-03-2013: 1 fake Hitler in Slovakia

In 2013 the Slovakian auction house Darte in Nižný Hrušov sold uts sixth "Hitler". In 2011 it had sold one, in 2012 four. The similarity between all these Hitlers? They were all fake.


Click to enlarge.


Description by auctioneer:

"Serial number: 201

Year: 1918
Technique: watercolor on paper

Dimensions: 17 x 23 cm

Signature: bottom right

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in the village of Braunau on the Inn River. He didn't even want to think that he should become a clerk like his father.  e loved nature and wanted to spend time in it and his big hobby was painting. At the end of September 1907, 18-year-old Hitler came to Vienna to take an entrance exam at the Academy of Fine Arts. However, it was not accepted. He tried it again for another year - but the result was the same. However, this did not deter him from painting. The bold and confident Hitler nevertheless settled in Vienna and in 1909 and 1910 created a large number of small paintings. He painted houses often copied by postcard or from print, but also landscapes and portraits. He also created advertising posters for shoes, shoe polishes, cosmetics and underwear. He used oil, ink and watercolors. Adolf Hitler initially subsisted on artistic talent, at that time he focused on quantity - he created about 2,000 to 3,000 works by various methods - but even later (during his political career) he did not betray the art and as part of relaxation he focused on more pompous works, some of which he kept in the bunker until the end - 30. April 1945. The auction company DARTE has already offered five works by this author at its auctions. The sixth part of the current DARTE auction is a small watercolor "Fight in the Clouds", painted by 29-year-old Adolf in 1918." 


Comment by Droog Magazine: One can only be amazed by the utter nonsense being told here. Yes, Hitler was born in Braunau in 1889, and yes, he failed his entry exams for the Art Academy, but further... Hitler's production was low, he didn't produce any oil paintings, he didn´t make landscapes, in 1909 he didn't produce any watercolors at all, and he didn't paint at all after the First World War. And he certainly didn't make the work “Flight in the clouds”.


Source.

Adolf Hitler - Boj v oblakoch.
JARNÁ AUKCIA VÝTVARNÉHO UMENIA DARTE - 24.3.2013
https://www.dartesro.sk/?act=dielo-katalog&dielo=38035&search=1

Source for the information about the Hitlers sold by Darte 2011-2012:

NAJVYŠŠIE DOSIAHNUTÉ CENY DIEL A. HITLERA NA AUKCÁCH:
32 000 eur - Morské nokturno ( DARTE 2012 )
17 000 eur - Večerná krajina ( DARTE 2012 )
12 000 eur - Waldweg ( DARTE 2012 )
10 200 eur - Tajné stretnutie ( DARTE 2011 )
10 000 eur - Gastein ( DARTE 2012 )

https://www.dartesro.sk/?act=dielo-katalog&dielo=85364

Address auction house Darte

DARTE Aukčná spoločnosť s.r.o.
Nižný Hrušov 333
094 22
Slovenská republika
Tel: +421 905 356 921, +421 905 959 101
Email: dartesro@dartesro.sk
https://www.dartesro.sk/



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21-05-2013: 2 fake Hitlers at UK auction

The UK based Mullock's Specialist Auctioneers & Valuers in Church Stretton (Shropshire) organized in 2009-2019 at least 14 auctions, on which works allegedly made by Hitler (watercolors, oil paintings, pastel and sketches) were sold.

None of these 'Hitler's' are authentic, as they don't fit the general description of Hitler's watercolors from 1910-1913, as established by  the Viennese police in 1936. None of these works resemble in anything the authentic Hitler works registered by the NSDAP Hauptarchiv in 1936-1940. Furthermore, the wide variety of styles of the works sold by Mullock's is a clear indication that these works were made by many different artists.

On May 21, 2013 Mullock’s offered 2 works attributed to Hitler. One watercolor and one oil painting, both accompanied by Certificates of Authenticity (CoA) issued by the Austrian swindler Hans O.A. Horváth.


Lot 484. "Karlskirche in Vienna".
Watercolor. Approx 11 x 16 cm.
Signed left hand corner "A. Hitler".
Guide price £4000 - £6000. Not sold.

      
Lot 486. "Reh am Bach" (hart by a brook). Oil painting. Signed "A. Hitler"bottom right hand corner. No dimensions given. Watercolor. Approx 11 x 16 cm. Guide price £4000 - £6000. Not sold.

Needless to say: these were forgeries too.

See our special report on Mullocks:

https://www.droog-mag.nl/hitler/mullocks-history-of-hitler-auctions.pdf

Sources.

Lot 484. Painting attributed to Hitler watercolour depicting Karlskirche in…
Mullock’s. auction date 21/05/2013.
https://www.mullocksauctions.co.uk/lot-61171-painting_attributed_hitler_watercolour_depicting_karlskirche.html?p=46

Lot 486.
Original Art. Attributed to Adolf Hitler. ‘Reh… Mullock’s. auction date 21/05/2013.
https://www.mullocksauctions.co.uk/lot-61173-original_art_attributed_adolf_hitler_reh.html?p=47


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21-08-2013: 5 fakes Hitler at UK auction

Again at Mullock’s. Five fake Hitler watercolors, four of them with fraudulent Horváth CoAs. 



Lot 495: “Attributed to Hitler Stilleben, Still Life shows apples, nuts, flowers and a clock. Overall 43.5 x 34.5cm, aquarelle on carton. Signed “Adolf Hitler” in bottom left. On the back partially stamped by H.O.A. Horvath, Archiv für NS Zeitgeschichte (Archive for NS Contemporary History). Guide price £6000 - £8000. Not sold.”

 

Lot 496: “Attributed to Hitler Alpine Bouquet with Edelweiss, 38 x 27.5cm, signed A. Hitler to left bottom. Guide price £6000 - £8000. Not sold.” Watercolor.


Lot 497: “Attributed to Hitler Altes Dorf, shows a steep ascending, narrow street in an old village. The location is hard to pinpoint, but most likely in old Duernstein on the Danube. 43.5 x 28.5cm, watercolour on paper. Signed “A. Hitler” in bottom right. In the back partially stamped by H.O.A. Horvath, Archiv für NS Zeitgeschichte (Archive for NS Contemporary History). Guide price £6000 - £8000. Not sold.”



Lot 498: “Attributed to Hitler Dürnstein a.d. Donau, showing the old Towngate of the famous old town in the Danube-valley called “Wachau”. 21.5 x 17cm, paper glued to passe-partout. Signed “Adolf Hitler [19]21” in bottom right. In the back partially stamped by H.O.A. Horvath, Archiv für NS Zeitgeschichte (Archive for NS contemporary history). Guide price £6000 - £8000. Not sold.”



Lot 499. Watercolor. “Attributed to Hitler Kloster im Herbst shows a monastery, probably in Lower-Austria in autumn. Approx 54 x 44.5cm, watercolour. Signed “A. Hitler” in bottom right. In the back stamped by H.O.A. Horvath, Archiv für NS Zeitgeschichte (Archive for NS Contemporary History).” Sold for a hammer price of £5,000 ($7,808).


Sources.


Lots 495-499. Mullock’s. Auction date 21/08/2013.
https://www.mullocksauctions.co.uk/lot-64745-attributed_hitler_stilleben_still_life_shows_apples.html
https://www.mullocksauctions.co.uk/lot-64746-attributed_hitler_alpine_bouquet_edelweiss_38.html
https://www.mullocksauctions.co.uk/lot-64747-attributed_hitler_altes_dorf_shows_steep.html
https://www.mullocksauctions.co.uk/lot-64748-attributed_hitler_duumlrnstein_d_donau_showing.html
https://www.mullocksauctions.co.uk/lot-64749-attributed_hitler_kloster_im_herbst_shows.html




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15/16-11-2013: 2 fake Hitlers in Germany

Auction house Hermann Historica in Munich is offering two 'Hitler' watercolours at auction 67r, 15/16 November 2013.

The first is a work entitled 'Munich. K.B. Verkehrsministerium', which is said to date from 1913/1914. It was offered as lot number 6160 for €15,000 and sold for €27,000.

This work also came with two documents that should prove its authenticity: a typed postcard 'from 1933' and a will 'from 1940'.

The existence of this work wasn't recorded by the NSDAP Hauptarchiv in the 1930's. It wasn't mentioned by Hitler's clients in 1951, when they were interviewed by Thomas Orr. The accompanying documents are documents that could easily be forged. This all makes that this work should be regarded as a fake.


The 2013 "Hitler".


The 1935 "Hitler" from the Hoffmann portfolio.

The second is lot number 6161, 'Haubourdin' 1916. Offered and sold for EUR 16,000. The work looks very much like one of the 'Hitlers' that was reproduced in the Hoffmann portfolio from 1935.

The forger had provided the work with documents, which would prove that the work had been purchased in 1920 by arms dealer Adam Schork a.k.a. Schurk. The same Schork turns up as 'former owner' in other forgeries auctioned by Hermann Historia - see: the Schork-Hitler.



Above one of the documents accompanying the work auctioned in 2013. From this, it can be concluded that a second World War I watercolour of Hitler, 'Sanitätsunderstand bei Fromelles', was also produced by the same forger/forger group.

At the same auction also monocles 'of Hitler' were auctioned (lot number 6182). So called from the estate of his housekeeper, Anni Winter. The forgers supplied a declaration of authenticity 'from Frau Winter' with this glassware.


Sources

Bundesarchiv Berlin. NS 26 Hauptarchiv der NSDAP / 3 Adolf Hilter / 3.3 Künstlerisches Schaffen. Files NS 26 1-43a, 64 , 2599.

Thomas Orr. Das war Hitler. Die erste Hitler-Biographie nach 1945. Revue, München, Nr. 46, 1952, blz. 3, 37-40.

Auction catalog Hermann Historica 67r, 15/16-11-2013.



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??-12-2013: 1 fake Hitler in Ireland

In December 2013 the Irish auction house Mealy’s Fine Art offered a “Hitler for sale.”


Click to enlarge.

The work was allegedly bought by a undisclosed man from Dundalk. The Irish Times:

“The man, who goes to auctions and car-boot sales “as a hobby”, bought the watercolour as “part of a boxed job lot for about £30” in England last year.
Back home in Co Louth, some months later, he took the back off the picture to clean the glass and discovered the artist’s signature, the initials “AH”, which had been obscured by the frame. Research by his daughter revealed that the signature might be that of Adolf Hitler.

Paintings attributed to Hitler have occasionally turned up and been sold at auctions abroad. However, most of the major international auction houses do not assess, value or sell his work.

The painting depicts a landscape and a title, “Walberswick from Southwold”, is written on the reverse. The village of Walberswick and town of Southwold are on the Suffolk coast in England.”

George G. Mealey, the auctioneer, said the attribution, if accurate, “would suggest that Hitler had visited England” and the painting “would be very significant from a historical point of view”.


Comment by Droog Magazine: as Adolf Hitler never visited or invaded England, it is quite unlikely that he made this work. Moreover, Hitler never signed his watercolours with “A.H.”


Source

Michael Parsons. Did Hitler paint this watercolour? Art dealer seeks help to solve puzzle. The Irish Times, Dublin, 18-11-2013.

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/visual-art/did-hitler-paint-this-watercolour-art-dealer-seeks-help-to-solve-puzzle-1.1598220


 
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Contact Droog Magazine


E-mail: droog@epibreren.com


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Exchange rates / value of money 2013

1 euro = 
1.29 US dollar.
1 US dollar = 0.76 euro.   
1 euro = 0.85 UK pound
1 UK pound = 1.18 euro
1 euro = 1.25 Swiss francs
1 Swiss franc =0.80 euro

Wisselkoersen archief ECB, 15-05-2013.

https://wisselkoers-euro.nl/archief-wisselkoersen/2013-05-15/


CPI Inflation Calculator – for US dollars.This inflation calculator uses official records published by the U.S. Department of Labor.
https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/

Convertisseur franc-euro. Pouvoir d'achat de l'euro et du franc. Le convertisseur franc-euro mesure l'érosion monétaire due à l'inflation.
https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2417794


Historischer Währungsrechner. Österreichische Nationalbank (Geldwertrechner).
https://www.eurologisch.at/docroot/waehrungsrechner/#/


Value of the Guilder/Euro. International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam.
http://www.iisg.nl/hpw/calculate.php


© Compilation Bart FM Droog, 2021.