Adolf Hitler’s Century-Old Watercolor Painting Raises Over $150,000 At Nuremberg Auction

Auctioneers at the Nuremberg auction in Germany said that Adolf Hitler's watercolor painting has raised $161,000 (€130,000). The auction director, Kathrin Weidler said the buyer of the century-old piece was a private person from the Middle East who attended the event personally.

Adolf Hitler's watercolor painting was made in 1914, which is a hundred years ago from today. As reported by CNBC News, Weidler revealed that several inquiries from Asia and America had been made about the painting. The auction house said the painting was one of the 2,000 artworks made by the Nazi dictator before rising to power.

Before becoming the notorious dictator, Adolf Hitler was an aspiring artist whose ambitions of being a famous painter were ruined. According to Newsweek, Hitler was well-known for planning the Nazi takeover of Germany and much of Europe, prompting World War II, and leading the massacre of six million Jews and millions of others considered inferior to the Aryan race.     

As a struggling artist, Adolf Hitler's watercolor painting entitled, "Standesamt und Altes Rathaus Muenchen" (Civil Registry Office and Old Town Hall of Munich), is one of about 2,000 works that Hitler painted between 1905 and 1920. Yahoo! News reported the painting was sold by a pair of elderly German sisters whose grandfather bought in 1916.

The watercolor painting by Adolf Hitler depicted the old town hall in the city of Munich, an almost-deserted part of street with just a speck of a noticeable figure in front of the building. The painting measures 28-centimeter by 22-centimeter and while it has raised over $150,000, its artistic quality is a matter of debate.

"It's perfectly well done," the auction house director Kathrin Weidler said. "But I'd rate its artistic value as fairly minimal."

In the past, the auction of Hitler's paintings has prompted argument between those who are deeply taken aback by the thought of reveling the artistic endeavors of a man who caused so much destruction and spread so much hate, whereas others see it as part of history similar to any other artifact or piece of historic memorabilia.

Adolf Hitler's century-old watercolor painting has drawn interest from around the world, with most seeing it as an oddity while others as an investment. As reported by The Daily Mail, the painting includes the original bill of sale and a signed letter from Hitler's adjutant, Albert Bormann, brother of Hitler's private secretary Martin Bormann.

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