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October 27, 2022 - Droog Magazine periodical for investigative journalism

Channel 4's Hitler hoax

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The deceit by Jimmy Carr and Channel 4

How the deceit became world news


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The deceit by Jimmy Carr and Channel 4


It became world news in October 2022: the announcement that British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr would present artworks by "problematic artists" to a studio audience on the Channel 4 programme "Jimmy Carr Destroys Art", asking whether or not they should be destroyed.

Why did it become world news? Because one of the works was allegedly made by Adolf Hitler - and spectacular news surrounding Hitler always becomes world news. Also because it was precisely the Nazis who destroyed works of art they didn't like. And also because of Jimmy Carr's own "problematic artistry", because - by way of sick joke or meant - he called the mass murder of Roma and Sinti a positive aspect of the Holocaust.


The sharpest criticism came from journalist and anti-Semitism campaigner Jonathan Sacerdoti, who in a LBC-radio interview labelled the Channel 4 programme an "extremely sick piece of entertainment television." And said, "This is not a debate about freedom of speech, this is desperate attention-seeking."


But... was it a real Hitler or a fake?

All the pre-broadcast commotion, however, largely ignored the fact that virtually all the paintings and drawings attributed to Hitler that have appeared on the market since 1945 are fake - they are forgeries (imitations of authentic works) or fakes (resembling the real objects in nothing).

Ian Katz, Channel 4's responsible programme director told The Guardian that an "art expert" had been hired to buy the works from reputable auction houses.

Hold on: reputable auction houses have not sold any works attributed to Hitler since 1960. Not because they are almost all fake or for moral reasons, but, as a spokesman for Sotheby's London explained in 1967, looking back at the last Hitler auction by Sotheby's in 1960: "There was such a rumpus then that it was more trouble than it was worth. Feelings ran high and we don't want to have any more trouble ."


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Unanswered questions before the broadcast

All this gave the handful of genuine specialists on Hitler's "art production" - including your reporter - the impression that the alleged Hitler work in the TV show was in all likelihood fake. But Channel 4 refused to respond to questions before the broadcast. Enquiries with people who had attended the filming on 12 October also led to nothing: they had all signed a confidentiality agreement with a penalty clause. Thus, before the broadcast on Tuesday 25 October 2022, the real experts could not state anything with certainty about the alleged Hitler.


During the broadcast

That changed during the broadcast. The "Hitler" that Jimmy Carr presented to the audience for review with the words, "If you want to save the Hitler, move to the right - that's to the far right", was immediately recognised by your reporter as a fake.



Left: the "Hitler" in the Channel 4 show, 2022. Right: The "Hitler" auctioned in Spain, 2015. It's clearly the same work; colour differences are caused by the television camera and subsequent photographing of the tv screen. Click to enlarge. 

The work first surfaced at a Spanish auction house in 2015, where it sold for €7,800 (the estimation on the auction site of €7 - €10 is a mistake). It is a watercolour, depicting a building that looks Spanish or South American.



On the back is the text: "Stift bei Welß /18 Februar 1921 / Adolf Hitler" (click to enlarge). And the work was accompanied by a shady story about its provenance, which on checking turned out to be utter chatter.

Now it is known from archive research that Hitler only painted watercolours (read: drawings coloured with watercolours) for sale in 1910-1914. Those works depict purely Viennese and Munich cityscapes. All are enlarged copies of images in photographs and postcards. There is one authentic work from 1906, showing a building near Linz. In addition, there are one to three watercolours from 1914-1917 that may be genuine - but are nothing like the "Hitler" presented by Carr. Based on witness testimony, it can be stated with certainty that Hitler did not produce any painting after 1918: he was a full-time demagogue and politician from 1919 onwards. In other words, the dating "1921" is enough to label the work as a fake.

Did the Carr show say it was a real one? Yes and no. First it was: "believed to be by Hitler". But also: "This one has been authenticated by the auctioneers. This one is being TRADED as a Hitler".

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The auction houses and the hired expert

That brings us to the auction houses that deal in "Hitlers" and trade somewhere between 50 and 200 pieces annually worldwide (note: Hitler in all likelihood made at most 150 watercolours in his entire life). These companies all have this kind of clause in their terms of sale:

"Neither the sellers nor the auctioneers are responsible for the authenticity, attribution, genuineness, origin, authorship, date, age, period, condition or quality of any lot. All statements, whether made orally or included in a catalogue, advertising material, or made in any manner with respect to such items, are opinions only and should not be construed as firm statements or facts."

In other words, even the guarantee to the door is missing.

And what about the art expert hired by Channel 4, who had purchased the works featured in this show? In the credits, only British artist Mark Farid was named as "art consultant". We asked him if he was the buyer or knew who it was: he refused to answer that and referred to Channel 4's press officer.

Did Channel 4 and Jimmy Carr knew the work was a fake?

If a real art expert had been employed, they would have known. If any editor would have done a quick search on internet, then the fake work sold in 2015 would have been detected. Either there was gross negligence on Channel 4's part, or there was deliberate deception.

Whatever was the case: fact is that Channel 4, by buying the fake, financed the forgery industry and inspired forgers to produce more fake Hitlers.

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The chainsaw guillotine for the (fake) Hitler


To make things even sicker, the Hitler work was defended by a Jew, the writer and actor Jolyon Rubinstein. Although he rightly stated that it was precisely Hitler who destroyed works of art, it remains a travesty that he allowed himself to be taken in by the sick programme makers. Any right-thinking person would have refused to cooperate with this transparent publicity stunt.



Be that as it may, as might be expected, the studio audience judged that the so-called Hitler work had to be destroyed. Channel 4 had spared no expense to do so in the most gruesome way possible: the work was placed in a guillotine-like construction. With the innovative aspect that there was no drop axe falling down: the work was lowered into seven chain saws that shredded the "work of art".


The other works

Besides the Hitler, the fate of artworks by other "problematic" artists was also judged. Such as an African mask art-based vase-like object "by" Pablo Picasso. Picasso was said to be "problematic" because of his dealings with women. A bust made by Rachel Dolizal, a white lady who claims to be black. A work by British sculptor Eric Gill (1882-1940), a man who indulged his daughters. A racist cartoon from the American Civil War. Were these authentic works? Given the purchase of the fake Hitler, that is highly questionable. But real or not: the Picasso vase was allowed to remain.

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The complete absurdity of the concept

Regardless of whether the works presented are authentic or not, the whole concept of this TV show is nonsensical. Hitler was not an artist: he never created independent, autonomous works of art, only copies. And he did so long before he became a politician. Picasso and Gill, however, were artists. And regardless of what else they did: it is nonsensical to equate their works and their private lives.

The futility of destroying fakes

And even more senseless is to destroy works of art, real or fake. We need not discuss the absurdity of destroying unique works of art any further, but we do need to discuss the idiocy of making fakes disappear forever.

German art historian Prof. Dr. Christian Fuhrmeister, of the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich, says: "
I think it is important to keep and preserve them, in a safe place, for study purposes, notably for comparisons. That is a longstanding principle ... and it has proven to be meaningful e.g. in the case of collections of graphic art (Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München houses approximately 400,000 works on paper) to collect and study them. Stephan Klingen and I also once looked at the drawings in the Bavarian Hauptstaatsarchiv ... you simply need material(s) for assessments, for characterizations, for study purposes. Destroying a fake will not make forgeries and fakes go away, and will also not change history."


The moral of this story

The past has shown that shady auction houses manage to make world news time and again by coming up with spectacular news about alleged "Hitler" objects. These companies do not do this lightly: they know that international press agencies uncritically copy their press releases in order to produce news items that are bought and further disseminated by the media worldwide: because Hitler sells. Thus, these auction houses do not need to advertise, because the media provide free publicity, which means that both buyers and sellers (i.e. also forgers) know where to go.

So there is every reason for journalists to wonder about every spectacular "Hitler" report, book or TV programme. The same goes for spectacular news about other historical personalities with high market value. Think of what happened around "The Betrayal of Anne Frank" - with that scandal, too, the media initially uncritically echoed the press releases of rogue TV producers and mega-profit-seeking publishers.

With both Hitler and Anne Frank, nonsensical "news" led to outrage, anger and grief among the relatives of the victims of the Nazi regime. Which was not only responsible for the genocide of Jews, Roma and Sinti, but also unleashed World War II - a war in which tens of millions died, worldwide.

The silence of Channel 4 and Jimmy Carr

Jimmy Carr, who is currently touring the Netherlands, did not respond  to comments and questions on our part. Steve Rosier, Channel's press officer, did not answer our questions.

Channel 4 stated to the Jewish Chronicle on October 27:
"It was made clear in the programme the painting may not be a genuine Hitler.”

That may be so - but in the publicity before the airing of the show it was never stated by Channel 4 that it might not be authentic.


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World news: how the media reported about this case
Take notice: almost all press article before the airing of the show (October 25, 2022) are based upon the first two Guardian articles (October 13, 2022), in which fundamental questions weren't asked or raised. 


Jim Waterson. Channel 4 buys painting by Hitler – and may let Jimmy Carr destroy it. The Guardian, London, 13-10-2022.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/oct/13/channel-4-show-art-trouble-hitler-painting

Nadia Khomami. Backlash against C4 show that may destroy works by Hitler and Picasso. The Guardian, London, 13-10-2022.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/oct/13/channel-4-art-trouble-jimmy-carr-destroy-works-hitler-picasso-backlash

Ben Bloch. 'Utterly sick' Channel 4 plans to potentially destroy Hitler art slammed. The Jewish Chronicle, London, 13-10-2022.

https://www.thejc.com/news/news/utterly-sick-channel-4-plans-to-potentially-destroy-hitler-art-slammed-5hI0I7W59sAxhtBzEdG8T

Daisy Stephens. 'Like book burning': Row over Channel 4 plans to buy Hitler's painting and have Jimmy Carr destroy it. LBC, 13-10-2022.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/channel-4-row-hitler-painting/

Frieze London: Flashback To A Quaint Bygone Era – Hitler Painting To BeDestroyed On Channel 4 – Give The Parthenon Marbles Back – Lord Vaizey. Artlyst, 13-10-2022.
https://artlyst.com/news/frieze-london-flashback-to-a-quaint-bygone-era-hitler-painting-to-be-destroyed-on-channel-4-give-the-parthenon-marbles-back-lord-vaizey/


Maria Serrano. Un canal de la televisión inglesa compra cuadros polémicos, de autores como Hitler o Picasso, para quemarlos en directo. El Debate, Madrid, 13-10-2022.

https://www.eldebate.com/cultura/20221013/canal-television-inglesa-compra-cuadros-polemicos-autores-como-hitler-picasso-quemarlo-directo_65905.html

Editors. Channel 4 criticised for Jimmy Carr show involving Hitler painting. BBC, London, 14-10-2022.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63240336


Jacqueline Haddadian. Britischer TV-Sender kauft Gemälde von Hitler – und lässt Zuschauer entscheiden, ob es zerstört werden soll. Stern, Hamburg, 14-10-2022
https://www.stern.de/panorama/britischer-tv-sender-kauft-hitler-gemaelde---und-will-es-in-sendung-zerstoeren-32815684.html

Lola Talik. Une toile peinte par Adolf Hitler sera peut-ętre détruite ŕ l'issue d'un débat télévisé. Geo, Gennevilliers (France) 14-10-2022.
https://www.geo.fr/histoire/une-toile-peinte-par-adolf-hitler-sera-peut-etre-detruite-en-direct-a-lissue-dun-debat-televise-212159


Adam Schrader. British Channel 4 buys Hitler painting; studio audience will vote whether to destroy it. UPI, Washington D.C., 14-10-2022
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2022/10/14/british-channel-4-buys-hitler-painting-studio-audience-vote-destroy-it/9071665797384/

Christian Edwards. A UK TV station bought a painting by Hitler. A studio audience will vote on whether to destroy it. CNN, Atlanta, 14-10-2022.
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/channel-4-jimmy-carr-hitler-painting-intl-scli-gbr/index.html

Czinkóczi Sándor. Csak azért vett egy Hitler-festményt a Channel 4, hogy Jimmy Carr szétzúzhassa. 444, Budapest, 14-10-2022.
https://444.hu/2022/10/14/csak-azert-vett-egy-hitler-festmenyt-a-channel-4-hogy-jimmy-carr-szetzuzhassa

ČTK. Britská televize koupila Hitlerův obraz, diváci rozhodnou o jeho zničení. iDNES.cz, Praha, 14-10-2022.
https://www.idnes.cz/kultura/vytvarne-umeni/adolf-hitler-channel-4-jimmy-carr.A221014_085245_vytvarne-umeni_jgo

Skandalshow in Großbritannien: Wird hier Hitlers Kunst zerstört?. RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland, 15-10-2022.
https://www.rnd.de/medien/skandalshow-in-grossbritannien-wird-hier-hitlers-kunst-zerstoert-
AXMQIQNLRZCDTMW66HXGEXJU2Y.html


Isabel Lewis. Channel 4 show where Jimmy Carr can destroy Hitler painting ‘trivialises’ the Holocaust, trust says. The Independent, London, 15-10-2022
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/jimmy-carr-hitler-painting-destroys-art-b2202776.html

[Editor]. Irish examiner view: Channel 4 Hitler prank not terribly funny. Irish Examiner, Blackpool (Cork), 15-10-2022
https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/ourview/arid-40984523.html


Ash Obel, La télévision britannique va potentiellement détruire des śuvres d’art d’Hitler. Times of Israël, Jerusalem, 17-10-2022.

https://fr.timesofisrael.com/la-television-britannique-va-potentiellement-detruire-des-oeuvres-dart-dhitler/

Hitler tablosunun 'izleyici oylarıyla' yakılabileceği programa tepki. Gazete Duvar, Istanbul, 17-10-2022.
https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/hitler-tablosunun-izleyici-oylariyla-yakilabilecegi-programa-tepki-haber-1585215

Ellen Maerevoet. Felle kritiek op Britse tv-show waarin publiek beslist of schilderij van Hitler vernietigd wordt of niet. VRT NWS, Brussel, 17-10-2022.
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2022/10/17/channel-4-hitler/

Britanska TV-postaja kupila Hitlerjevo umetnino. Občinstvo bo odločilo, ali naj jo uničijo. RTV Slovenija, Ljubljana, 17-10-2022.
https://www.rtvslo.si/kultura/vizualna-umetnost/britanska-tv-postaja-kupila-hitlerjevo-umetnino-obcinstvo-bo-odlocilo-ali-naj-jo-unicijo/644049

SSM. Britse tv-show zwaar onder vuur: publiek mag kiezen of kunst van Hitler vernietigd wordt of niet. HLN, Antwerpen, 17-10-2022.

https://www.hln.be/tv/britse-tv-show-zwaar-onder-vuur-publiek-mag-kiezen-of-kunst-van-hitler-vernietigd-wordt-of-niet~a4d8a8c5/

Max de Moor. ‘Moet dit schilderij van Hitler vernietigd worden? Aan u de keuze’. De Standaard, Brussel, 17-10-2022
https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20221017_93377860

Adam Fineberg. Tasteless Hitler painting show will be Channel 4’s downfall. The Guardian, London, 18-10-2022.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/oct/18/tasteless-hitler-painting-show-will-be-channel-4s-downfall


[Redaktion]. Der englische TV-Sender Channel 4 will live ein Gemälde von Hitler zerstören. Klein Report – Der Mediendienst der Schweizer Kommunikationsbranche. Zürich, 18-10-2022.

https://www.kleinreport.ch/news/der-englische-tv-sender-channel-4-will-live-ein-gemalde-von-hitler-zerstoren-100505/

[Editors]. Те купиха картина на Хитлер и сега питат зрителите си дали Джими Кар да я унищожи. Webcafe, София (Sofia, Bulgaria), 19-10-2022.
https://webcafe.bg/vryava/te-kupiha-kartina-na-hitler-i-sega-pitat-zritelite-si-dali-dzhimi-kar-da-ya-unishtozhi.html

Amanda Capuano. O programa de TV polęmico que vai destruir obras de Hitler e Picasso. Veja, Săo Paulo (Brazil), 19-10-2022.
https://veja.abril.com.br/cultura/o-programa-de-tv-polemico-que-vai-destruir-obras-de-hitler-e-picasso/

Renato Baretić. Kad se politička korektnost pretopi u jeftinu banalnost: Što je zajedničko klincima koji juhom prskaju Van Gogha i komičaru koji spaljuje Hitlerovu sliku? T-Portal, Zagreb (Croatia), 22-10-2022.
https://www.tportal.hr/komentatori/clanak/performans-van-gogh-suncokreti-jimmy-carr-hitler-komentar-renato-baretic-20221021

Sammy Gecsoyler. TV tonight: Jimmy Carr's controversial art destruction show.The Guardian, London, 25-10-2022.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/oct/25/tv-tonight-jimmy-carr-destroys-art-channel-4


Ed Cumming. Jimmy Carr Destroys Art, review: A moronic and pathetic programma. The Telegraph, London, 25-10-2022.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/jimmy-carr-destroys-art-review-moronic-pathetic-programme/

Ruth Lawes. Jimmy Carr Destroys Art introduced with trigger warning after Adolf Hitler painting controversy. Metro, London, 25-10-2022.
https://metro.co.uk/2022/10/25/jimmy-carr-destroys-art-given-trigger-warning-after-hitler-controversy-17636880/

Louis Stilton. Jimmy Carr Destroys Art may be the stupidest take on ‘cancel culture’ yet. The Independent, London, 26-10-2022.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jimmy-carr-destroys-art-hitler-pablo-picasso-b2210640.html

Adam Miller. How Channel 4's Jimmy Carr Hitler stunt provoked a backlash. The Herald, Glasgow, 26-10-2022.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23079327.dsfadsf/

Alexander Adams. Jimmy Carr Destroys Art review | 'A wretched viewing experience'. Why Now, London, 26-10-2022.
https://whynow.co.uk/read/jimmy-carr-destroys-art-review

Cathal Ryan. Jimmy Carr destroys piece of Hitler's art in controversial new TV show. Buzz, Dublin, 26-10-2022.
https://www.buzz.ie/tv/jimmy-carr-destroys-hitlers-artwork-28335384

Chris Edwards. ‘Jimmy Carr Destroys Art’ enrages Channel 4 viewers: “What kind of moronic mind commissioned this?” Paintings by Adolf Hitler and Rolf Harris were featured on the show. NME, 26-10-2022
https://www.nme.com/news/tv/jimmy-carr-destroys-art-enrages-channel-4-viewers-3336496

[€] Ben Lawrence. How TV has abandoned true culture. The Telegraph, London, 27-10-2022.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/jimmy-carr-destroys-art-television-has-abandoned-true-culture/

Dan Einav. Jimmy Carr Destroys Art, Channel 4 review - grim and unedifying. Financial Times, London, 27-10-2022.
https://www.ft.com/content/d282060b-723c-4904-a23e-ea2ac7b62e87


Jonathan Sacerdoti. Hitler painting shredded by Jimmy Carr 'was a fake' says art expert. The Jewish Chronicle, London, 27-10-2022.
https://www.thejc.com/news/news/hitler-painting-shredded-by-jimmy-carr-'was-a-fake'-says-art-expert-3UXpLvc0eazkeZm42Elh9T

©  Bart FM Droog, 2022.
Screenshots by Jonathan Sacerdoti.

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