Deutsch Kunstler und die SS and conservation

[Michael Fay]

My poster started looking like this one on the left-maybe 10 to 20 years ago.

[Michael Fay]

next phase

then this same poster on the left looked like this about 10 years ago.
It is exactly the same poster only with more external damage and internal acid destruction.
This acidic damage was in part at least coming from the backing material which was actually a type of glue and wood composite similar to a very thin plywood .

[Michael Fay]

3rd phase

Here is how it was when I got it.
Notice how it is even worse than before. With apparent water damage on bottom and the acidic destruction is getting worse with the whole poster "browning out"

[Michael Fay]

3rd phases closeup on top corner

closeup on top corner: show the original damage that identifies this exact poster as being the same one as in all earlier photos
And some serious dentage and creasing that went through the whole "plywood" backing

[Michael Fay]

3rd phase bottom portion damage

bottom portion damage closeup :
it was really getting bad!
Water damage , acidic destruction, tape damage
and of course the holes which i believe were put in when posters were brand new and the SS Art show was open for art viewers

[Michael Fay]

Present phase

Here is how it looks after quite a long time at the professional poster conservationists.
They had to remove the plywood backing from the paper-which was very dangerous as the paper had begun to merge with the backing.
It has been given the full treatment, including being attached to a archival linen backing.

I did not want to do so-but the acid destruction coming from the original backing was going to destroy this very rare poster in a few years.
Taking it off caused more damge, and so I authorized the fullest treatment possible.
Not what I will prefer to do in the future, but at least it looks great and is now archivally stabilized for the future.

[Michael Fay]

conservationist treated SS poster in brighter light

Here is the poster as it looks in bright light-just before I framed it in glass with archival foam backing.

[Pepe77]

Great poster and a good decision with that restoring. Price was quite tough, right?

[Michael Fay]

Great poster and a good decision with that restoring. Price was quite tough, right?

oh god ...yes.
the price was not for the faint hearted (as I mention, it took much more work than a normal SS poster would that did not have a wood and glue backing )
but it is a piece that can demand of it's owner certain considerations.

Especially for me : as I appreciate just what this poster represented.
Not NSDAP ideology and Kunst, no...this is somthing pointedly more intense...SS Kunst.
Where SS ideology and propaganda art became one.

[Pepe77]

I knew it, some paper stuff is still waiting for restoration altough it´s not as interesting as yours. Do you know if the red shield with three golden ? has some special meaning or it´s just an art?

[Michael Fay]

I knew it, some paper stuff is still waiting for restoration altough it´s not as interesting as yours. Do you know if the red shield with three golden ? has some special meaning or it´s just an art?

No, I do not recognize this motif.
I suspect it is more of an generic artistic conceit of Dr.Anton.
But of course as a shield: it is in German a Wappen heraldik shield design (albeit generic as far as I can see) which had great import for the SS ideology AND actually also the nsdap. This importance of which in general implies the status of the SS as Ritter Orden Knights (and so also the new aristocracy of Germany).

If any one else knows more, I will be interested in hearing about it.

[TrondK]

Great work, it looks wonderful now. Money is of no importance if such pieces of history can be saved for the future.

[Max Wünsche]

Very nice Poster, and I agree with the sentiments already expressed on a well done restoration... Beautiful piece by a amazing artist.

[Paul R.]

Michael, This poster looks fantastic. As a 3-D conservator I have to congratulate both you and the person who achieved the successful outcome. I am glad that you chose a professional approach on this project. It’s also great to see photo documentation along the way. Thanks for sharing the poster restoration and preserving history.

[Harm Wulf]

Others Prof. Ottomar Anton's work here
http://www.galleria.thule-italia.com/ottomar.html