Channel 4 buys Hitler painting for new show
The show, to be hosted by Jimmy Carr, will see audience members vote on whether to destroy pieces created by “problematic” artists.
Channel 4 has bought art purportedly painted by Adolf Hitler for a new reality show in which audience members will vote on whether the host should destroy the item.
The plan has drawn protests from an antisemitism watchdog, which warned against using Hitler’s artwork for entertainment purposes.
The painting is one of several pieces from “problematic” artists purchased by the UK’s Channel 4 for the show, which will explore whether art can be removed from the person behind it, the channel’s programming director Ian Katz told the Guardian in an interview published Thursday.
Other artwork slated to be used in the show includes pieces by convicted pedophile Rolf Harris and a piece belonging to the famed Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, whose history with women has come under scrutiny in the post #MeToo era, with some criticising his work as misogynistic.
Explaining the show’s concept, Katz said, “There are advocates for each piece of art. So you’ve got an advocate for Hitler. There’ll be someone arguing not for Hitler, but for the fact that his moral character should not decide whether or not a piece of art exists or not.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
