Author: Katarzyna Domagala-Pereira

The Enigmatic Sculptor Hedwig Maria Ley In 1932, sculptor Hedwig Maria Ley, a Nazi sympathizer, created the first authorized depiction of soon-to-be German dictator Adolf Hitler. The Nazi party made her bust the model for portraying the leader throughout his notorious rule. However, after Hitler’s death and Germany’s defeat in World War II, Ley buried the bust in her garden. Decades later, the sculpture emerged when a relative of her gardener discovered it, placing it proudly on the fireplace in his living room. This marked a generational divide, contrasting younger individuals seeking to disassociate from past generations who embraced German…