The cultural policy of the immediate post-war period has still not been analysed. Yet 1945 was not simply a turning point in this area either, as is often assumed. The contributions in this book question apparent inevitabilities and attempt to open up spaces of possibility across disciplines that are not free of contradictions. On the one hand, art and cultural policy in the post-war period are considered in their diversity and independently of their later success. On the other hand, this is linked to a critical reflection on research and memory, which has contributed to the perpetuation of well-known narratives and also explains why a comprehensive examination of the continuities and ruptures in the field of art and culture is still lacking.

MARIA NEUMANN is a historian. She is a research associate at the documenta Institute and researches the Nazi past of the documenta participants. 

FELIX VOGEL is Professor of Art and Knowledge at the University of Kassel and a member of the documenta Institute. His research interests include the theory and history of the exhibition and conceptual art.