Dürer's afterlife: A weaker artist could crack under the weight of his laurels

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Dürer's afterlife: A weaker artist could crack under the weight of his laurels

In 1936, in the midst of the Nazi era, the art historian Wilhelm Waetzoldt gave a speech in the city of Erfurt. Here he spoke, among other things, of The Knight, Death and the Devil, a copper sting made in 1513 by Albrecht Dürer of Nuremberg. “Heroic souls love this print,” Waetzoldt said, “the way Nietzsche loved it and the way Adolf Hitler loves it today.” He meant this as a recommendation.