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In the anniversary year, the Salzburg Festival commissioned two research projects on the life and artistic work of Leopoldine Wojtek. Contemporary historians took a close look at the biography of the painter and designer, because years after the festival’s logo was developed, she was seen as a beneficiary of the Nazi regime; A design historian classified the 1928 poster design with its language of symbols and shapes.
Two studies: Logo has no connection to the Nazi regime
On the one hand, contemporary historian Oliver Rathkolb examined the artist’s relationships with the National Socialists, on the other hand, design historian Anita Kern examined the aesthetic classification of poster design and found no borrowing from Nazi formal language. Both studies have shown that there is no connection between the logo and the Nazi regime, also in the context that Wojtek served Nazism ten years later in an aesthetically greatly changed way.
Helga Rabl-Stadler: “The logo is very good and timeless”
Both festival president Helga Rabl-Stadler and artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser spoke in favor of keeping the logo on Wednesday. “It’s a very good and timeless logo,” Rabl-Stadler said. Hinterhäuser emphasized that the festival thought a lot about how to use the logo. Therefore, it is important for the Festival to present the study results on the Festival’s website and dedicate an extensive symposium to the two studies over the next year. “You cannot deal with the past. We treat him openly, sincerely and honestly, “said Hinterhäuser-
Historian: Wojtek was married to an SS officer
As the contemporary historian Rathkolb summarized, Wojtek was married from 1932 to 1941 to art historian and SS officer Kajetan Mühlmann, who played a key role in the theft of art by National Socialists in Europe. Born in Pinzgau, he was actively involved in publicity for the festival from the mid-1920s and is said to have contributed to Wojtek with numerous commissions.
“Wojtek took advantage of their networks for themselves”
In his study, Rathkolb also examined the artist’s family background, which came from the German-speaking part of Brno. His father displayed a “very national-German socialization”, the sister had advanced to a successful dancer under the Nazis.
The historian sees Wojtek himself as a person in his contradiction. “They are also people with various weaknesses who rarely oppose the politically powerful in a totalitarian dictatorship. Some, like Poldi Wojtek, also took personal advantage of their political networks during National Socialism without any shame, up to and including the rampant enrichment of Jewish property, ”writes historian Rathkolb in his conclusion.
