Channel 4 buys painting by Hitler – lets audience decide whether to destroy it

The upcoming televised debate Art Trouble will delve into whether it's possible to truly separate art from the artist.

Jimmy Carr with a hammer.

Channel 4

Published: Thursday, 13 October 2022 at 11:28 am

Channel 4 has purchased a painting by Adolf Hitler as part of its upcoming debate programme, Art Trouble.

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It will see the channel display a series of "problematic" art works, with a studio audience tasked with deciding whether they should be destroyed by host Jimmy Carr.

Among the art works included in the televised debate is a painting by Hitler, and the format will see an advocate for the piece of art argue why it shouldn't be destroyed before the audience decides.

Speaking to The Guardian, Channel 4's director of programming Ian 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."

Should the audience decide not to destroy Hitler's painting, Katz confirmed it would be "appropriately" disposed of.

Art Trouble

Jimmy Carr will destroy the art displayed in Art Trouble if the audience chooses so.

Katz also discussed how such programming would be unlikely in the future, should Channel 4 be privatised by the government, explaining: "This kind of programming is difficult and expensive. And probably not a rational, commercial approach."

Host Carr came under fire earlier this year for a Holocaust joke included in his Netflix special, His Dark Material, which led to the comedian being condemned on social media and by anti-hate groups.

Other pieces of art included in the debate are a vase by Pablo Picasso, and works by convicted paedophile Rolf Harris and sexual abuser Eric Gill.

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Lidia Molina Whyte wears a mustard-coloured top. She is smiling and looking upwards to her left

Lidia Molina-WhyteFreelance

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