Charles Krafft Is A White Nationalist Who Believes The Holocaust Is A Deliberately Exaggerated Myth By Jen Graves

Famous Northwest Artist Accused Of Being A White Nationalist
An artwork entitled 'Biological Warfare Canisters' by artist Charles Krafft is displayed at the 'Trespass Alliance: Inside Urban Art' exhibition at the Andipa Gallery in London, on June 24, 2008. The exhibition includes a selection of paintings, sculptures and installations by influential urban artists. AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal (Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)
An artwork entitled 'Biological Warfare Canisters' by artist Charles Krafft is displayed at the 'Trespass Alliance: Inside Urban Art' exhibition at the Andipa Gallery in London, on June 24, 2008. The exhibition includes a selection of paintings, sculptures and installations by influential urban artists. AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal (Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)

The question is hard to get your head around: If Charles Krafft is a Holocaust denier, what does that say about his revered artwork? What exactly does he believe happened, and didn't happen, during the Holocaust? How should collectors and curators--or anyone who sees his work-- reassess his art in light of what he's been saying lately?

Krafft, an elder of Seattle art, is a provocateur. He makes ceramics out of human cremains, perfume bottles with swastika stoppers, wedding cakes frosted with Third Reich insignias. Up-and-coming artists continue to admire him. Leading curators include him in group shows from Bumbershoot to City Arts Fest. His work is in the permanent collections of Seattle Art Museum, Henry Art Gallery, and the Museum of Northwest Art, and it's been written about in the New Yorker, Harper's, Artforum, Juxtapoz. It's also appeared on the cover of The Stranger.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot