Vincent Van Gogh, Painter on the Road to Tarascon, 1888

An Expressionist in the 20th century, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner committed suicide in 1938. The previous year, Kirchner’s art, numbering around 600 pieces, was taken from public museums in Germany. They were all auctioned off or destroyed. All this in the name of the “cleansing of German culture,” which Adolf Hitler implemented when he came into power in 1933. Keen on tracking down corrupt art, including books, Hitler’s movement resulted in the destruction of mass amounts of paintings and literature.

The Entartete Kunst exhibit (the Degenerate Art exhibit) showcased art pieces temporarily spared from the burnings that were meant to provoke greater disgust toward everything unlike the German vision, specifically the Jews. Once labeled as a degenerate artist you were not allowed to paint, a law enforced by Nazi soldiers who would visit artist’s homes. Of the artists deemed degenerate, Kirchner was a victim to Hitler’s strict and enthusiastic control over art within Germany.

Other victims include Ensor, Matisse, Picasso, and Van Gogh. Painted in 1888, the Painter on the Road to Tarascon depicts Vincent Van Gogh, a lonely traveler on an empty road. Thought to be one of most cherished pieces lost in the war, it fell victim to German theft, resulting in its doom. Though it is unknown exactly how it was destroyed, many believe it to be a casualty in the allied bombings of Germany during the war.