Tattoo Simplicity: 10 Paintings by Adolf Hitler

Hitler is known for being one of the most evil and murderous men in Jewish history. Yet few people know that he also produced a large amount of paintings, focusing on flowers, landscapes and cathedrals.

Adolf Hitler, Dictator of the Holocaust

Adolf Hitler, failed dictator of Germany during World War II, produced a variety of oil and watercolor paintings. In addition to being responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people, including the genocide of six million Jews, Hitler was an artist who used cathedrals and flowers as subject matter for many of his paintings.

Above: “Dianthus” by Adolf Hitler. This painting is surprising to many, as the effeminate, gentle subject matter stands in stark contrast to the dictator responsible for the holocaust.

Above: “Roses” Although Hitler was not an exceptional artist, his paintings still have an aesthetic appeal.

Adolf Hitler's Failed Art Career

Before becoming involved in politics, Hitler applied several times to The Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, hoping to further his artistic career. He was turned down each time, and was forced to live on the streets, selling paintings to tourists and exchanging them in restaurants for meals.

Above: “Cathedral in Vienna” In many of Hitler's paintings there exists a level of detail that can only be achieved through careful planning and painstaking execution.

Above: “Mother Mary with the Holy Child Jesus Christ”

Hitler’s painting of Mary and child has caused a lot of stir amongst Christians. Hitler himself was a Christian, yet he was the creator of much misery and despair during the Second World War. He has been held responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews, gypsies and people from other social sects that Hitler didn’t deem worthy of being included in his future Germany.

Above: Many of Adolf Hitler's paintings portray the scenery that he encountered during his travels around Europe.

Above: Note only are these painting unique because of the notoriety of their creator, they also give us a view into the past, showing us buildings and fashions from Hitler's time.

Above: Hitler produced many paintings depicting the areas that he visited. However, he produced a large amount of postcard sized paintings of cathedrals and churches that were popular with tourists.

Above: Adolf Hitler was known to have a varying style and preference in medium, which makes verification of his paintings even more difficult. In fact, it is said that many of Hitler’s paintings that have previously sold for thousands of British pounds may in fact be fakes.

Above: Note the difference in styles from one painting to the next. It is possible that this painting, or any one of the others, is a fake, as Hitler didn't have a distinctive, recognizable style.

Above: The tranquility and peacefulness portrayed in Hitler’s paintings belie the atrocities he committed during WWII. One can only wonder how a man who was responsible for so many deaths could paint gentle, colorful paintings of flowers, churches and landscapes.

Fake Hitler Paintings

The authenticity of Hitler’s paintings is often hard to prove, as he seldom mentioned the paintings by name or description in his correspondence and diaries. His friend, Reinhold Hanisch, sold fake Hitler paintings during the fuehrer’s reign over Germany, an act that Hitler did not approve of. During Hitler’s youth, Hanisch pushed him to create a painting per day, a grueling pace which otherwise managed to feed them each evening.

Adolf Hitler's signature appears to have changed as he matured, and so it is possible that some painting that are believed to be the work of Adolf Hitler, were actually forgeries or fakes.