ABSTRACT
The narrative of the early post-war period as a time of repression and totalitarianism in the art system, opposed to the freedom of artistic expression, can be relativised by contrasting the period to those that preceded it, especially the conditions of artistic production and the social position of the artist in the interwar period. Capital flight left many of the artists prepared to pamper the tastes of industrialists and bankers devoid of commissions for new works. Rare chances to work were mostly concentrated in a few cities, all of which brought with them severe accommodation problems. Special attention was also given to the social security of artists. This profession was formally self-regulated through special associations established in the immediate wake of liberation. As teachers, artists once again seemed to occupy a privileged position. State-mandated oppression against artists who did not accept the paradigm of Socialist Realism was non-existent.
