Did Hitler and Freud know each other in Vienna?
If this turns out to be true, and not just a ruse to drive up the price, it would indeed represent a bizarre irony of history, but there’s nothing unbelievable about it. Back in his Viennese artist days, the future dictator and instigator of the Final Solution sold hundreds of watercolors and oil paintings through Jewish dealers and received generous support from Vienna’s Jewish community, which even funded one of his flophouses. (His later depiction of himself in Mein Kampf as an early and radical anti-Semite doesn't fit the recorded facts about his life in the Austrian capital.) In purely statistical terms, the idea that Sigmund Freud might have purchased one of them is not all that outlandish. Hitler moved to Munich in 1913. Freud fled Vienna for London in 1938. Despite their obvious differences, the man of war and the man of science were both products of the same cultural hothouse.
If Freud really did buy the painting from Hitler, you have to wonder if the two men ever met. And if they did, what if Freud had invited an obviously disturbed Adolf to have a lie down on his couch and try a little free association? Just think of all the suffering that single consultation might have prevented. I’d like to think he at least asked.
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Comments
Even if they had met, it would have been a simple case of patron meets artist, nothing more.
But, as I said, itneresting intellectual exercise.
I agree, since Hitler apparently didn't even become "Hitler" until he experienced World War I and defeat. But it's an interesting story because it shows how much more complicated reality is than our simple made for TV image of it. It also makes me more excited about my upcoming trip to Vienna!
I visited Freud's home in London when I was there in the 90's. It was like a Middle Eastern acid trip LOL
Quite possibly, and I can't imagine anyone will ever prove the painting belonged to Freud, considering how worthless it was at the time - it's not as if he'd be likely to insure it or anything. I also don't really believe Freud could have "cured" Hitler of anything, but counterfactual history is always intriguing.
Rwnutjob, yes, it's very mediocre. Today we'd say "motel art."
I agree with Curle: "Calling Freud a 'man of science' diminishes the notion of science. He had some interesting theories." But that pretty much sums up posychology (and/orpsichiatry). Freud had some serious problems. One of them was that he couldn't admit that he was abnormal, and so based his whole theory of analysis on a flawed principle. Sort of like Hitler. Hm.
Rated.
Jung just smiled and said, "I knew you'd say that."
BTW in Mien Kampf he doesn’t describe himself as an early anti-Semite in fact he claims he wasn’t one and talks about how he became an anti-Semite. It is of course prejudice and part of it may be to cater to an anti-Semitic crowd that he wanted to manipulate. He wouldn’t have been able to do this if he stood up for the Jews instead he manipulate their hatred.