Art that Hitler condemned as degenerate has survived the Fuehrer as a fixed and vibrant feature in the continuum of world culture.
Philip Morris is proud to join with the Federal Republic of Germany and the National Endowment for the Arts in presenting this art now in an exciting exhibition, Expressionism — a German Intuition, 1905-1920.
One basic appeal for us at Philip Morris, a company with activities in many countries, is the cultural universality associated with German Expressionism. Shaped in part by French art, Oceanic and other primitive art, Munch and Ensor, this movement in turn has exerted enormous influence upon modern art everywhere.
Among the Expressionists were Russian. Austrian, and American artists hound in common purpose. However varied in outlook and approach, they were fiercely determined to give free rein to their individual spirit and talent. Enduring creativity is not produced by the indifferent or the unconcerned, and the German Expressionists labored with conviction, imagination, and passion for freedom. More than fifty years later, their work still retains the capacity to stun the emotions with its fury and force.
Philip Morris, long committed to the proposition that free art is essential in a free society, supports this exhibition as a tribute, above all, to the indomitable free spirit of artists.
