The Winnipeg Art Gallery will remove Ferdinand Eckhardt’s name from its main entrance hall, website and all other gallery materials.
The decision came after recent allegations and research showed that WAG’s former director was a Nazi sympathizer while living in Germany in the 1930s. Published in a statement on the website last month.
The gallery is also investigating the origins of materials donated by Eckhart and the Eckhart Gramatte Foundation, and has confirmed that no art was confiscated during the Nazi regime. If it is discovered, “every effort will be made to return it to its rightful owner or his heirs,” the statement said.
Eckhart was born in Vienna in 1902, was drafted into the German army, and served in the German army from 1942 to 1944. He became an art historian and developed the art education department of the Austrian government before immigrating to Canada in 1953 where he became director of the WAG. He served in that role until 1974.
He was the driving force behind the construction of WAG’s current location, allowing the gallery to relocate from its previous space at the Winnipeg Auditorium (now the Manitoba Archives site across Memorial Boulevard). did.
His wife, Sophie Carmen Eckhardt Grammatte, who came to Winnipeg with him, became one of Canada’s leading music composers.
Regarding Eckhart’s connections and support with Nazi Germany, Article by Conrad Sweatman published in The Walrus Last November.
“Eckhart’s public support for Nazism included signing the oath of allegiance to Hitler, stirring up some controversy in far-right and nazification magazines in the early 1930s, and, among other things, promoting the German cultural scene as a goal of the Nazi state. “This includes encouraging people to be united,” the article says.
“Eckhardt ended up working for IG Farben, one of the most notorious figures in Hitler’s war machine. Farben built the Auschwitz concentration camp and manufactured Zyklon B, which was used in the gas chambers. The same company that did it,” Sweatman wrote.
Stephen Borys, director and CEO of WAG-Qaumajuq, downplayed Eckhart’s ties to the Nazis in response to questions from the newspaper. winnipeg free press About the day the Sweatman article came out.
“The only surprising thing is that so much is missing, unsubstantiated or not provided without citations or references, so there are a lot of big gaps,” he told the paper. That’s what I mean.”
in Follow-up article to The Walrus on December 7thMr Sweatman said the WAG had minimized the findings but had not completely rejected them.
“The WAG’s comments came hours after the article was published and they were upset. However, there is plenty of time to review the evidence we have presented so far,” he said of the Q&A article. I mentioned it inside. Between Sweatman and Interim Editor-in-Chief Carmine Starnino.
The statement on WAG’s website was published less than two weeks later, on December 19th, under the heading “Moving forward”.
The company said it takes the allegations leveled by Sweatman “with the utmost seriousness” and immediately launched an internal investigation, including a review of Manitoba Archives files.
Based on these findings, Mr. Boris received approval from the WAG board to begin removing Mr. Eckhardt’s name.
“This process will take time and updates will be shared with the public,” the statement said.
WAG will also continue to investigate whether there were any gaps in the ownership of art donated during the Nazi era.
“While the gallery has been conducting this investigation for several decades and has not found any gaps in the ownership of WAG-Kaumajuk’s Eckhart Gramatte Collection, this investigation remains inconclusive,” the statement said. It is being
“The Gallery is committed to investigating new allegations regarding our collection and will provide updates as this investigation progresses further.”
The statement continued: “All of this work on Eckhart’s past is part of a continuing journey toward equity, decolonization, and reconciliation in all its forms.”
CBC News also contacted the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg to see if they are considering renaming the facility, which is currently named after Eckhardt’s wife.
The U of M is home to the Eckhart Gramatte Music Library, and the U of W is home to the theater, Eckhart Gramatte Hall, and the Eckhart Gramatte Library for Art History.
West University will soon renovate the hall and “will review the name of the space,” a statement from the higher education institution said.
A U of M spokesperson said the university is conducting a complete review of its use of the Eckhardt name “to determine next steps.”
This includes the honorary degree the university awarded him in 1971.
“In the meantime, any paintings or plaques bearing their names will remain subject to review until the review is complete,” a spokesperson said in an email.
Eckhardt, who also received an honorary degree from Brandon University, was made a member of the Order of Canada (1976) and the Manitoba Buffalo Hunting Medal (1982).
At the time, the latter was the highest honor the state could bestow on individuals who demonstrated outstanding skills in the areas of leadership, service, and community involvement.
CBC asked the province if it was considering the honor.
Eckhart was also awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Bank Jubilee Medal (1977).
