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The thesis examines Adolf Hitler as an artist and whether a watercolor bearing his name is authentic or a forgery. Young Hitler aspired to become a professional artist, and although never formally trained, supported himself as a painter in Vienna and Munich in 1910-1914. He continued painting as a soldier in World War I, but lack of evidence suggesting otherwise his independent artistic endeavors seem to have ended when he became involved in the Nazi party in 1919/1920. Hitler produced an estimated 450-500 watercolors mainly depicting architectural views copied from picture postcards, which later became valuable commodities in the Third Reich. The first forgeries emerged in the mid-1930s, and have since then become numerous. 

20 supposedly authentic art works published in second-hand sources were examined. 30 of Hitler’s artistic characteristics were listed, showing him to be a meticulous, albeit amateurish, copyist of architectural drawings but lacking basic technical skills and a disinterested colorist. He signed the paintings with black-letter and Antiqua fonts.

The Kitzbúhel (sic) watercolor depicts a scene in the Austrian town Kitzbühel. It became a hot spot for Nazis after the Anschluss, but Hitler does not seem to have visited nor had any known links to the town. Stylistic comparisons between the watercolor, reference works and picture postcards showed that the painting is true to Hitler’s style, and it is an accurate depiction of the motif during the early 1900s. Due to some significant stylistic incongruences it is, however, most likely a forgery.