It was revolutionary. And to many, simply incomprehensible. The image of a sculpture, painted by Pablo Picasso. Four elements, as if cast in cement, set against a sky-blue background. On the right, some bare canvas that resembles a cloud. Below, a hill-like form. Upon it, a sphere. Then above, two more shapeless formations that have merged together, somehow appearing devoted to each other. An embrace, a kiss? What on earth was this supposed to be? Many likely asked themselves this question in 1929. Today, we know better. This is simply a work by Picasso, the greatest artist of the modern era.

The painting in question, titled 'Metamorphose' (Metamorphosis), created in 1929 using oil on canvas, represents the kind of groundbreaking modern art that would later face persecution under Nazi rule. What the Nazi regime would eventually condemn and defame as 'degenerate art' was actually displayed in a remarkable exhibition in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1935.

Now, this legendary exhibition is being recreated at the Kunstmuseum Luzern (Lucerne Art Museum), offering contemporary audiences a chance to experience what was once considered the cutting edge of artistic expression. The works of modern masters that were featured in the original 1935 exhibition came fresh from the artists' studios, representing the most current developments in avant-garde art of that time.

The recreation of this historic exhibition is particularly significant because some of the original artworks have since been destroyed or have disappeared entirely over the decades. This reconstruction effort at the Lucerne Art Museum serves as both an artistic and historical endeavor, preserving the memory of a pivotal moment in art history when modern masterpieces by artists like Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, and Joan Miró were celebrated in Switzerland even as they faced condemnation elsewhere.

The 1935 Lucerne exhibition represented a bold statement in favor of artistic freedom and modernist expression at a time when such works were increasingly under attack. The Nazi regime's campaign against what they termed 'degenerate art' sought to suppress and destroy works that didn't conform to their narrow ideological vision of acceptable artistic expression.

By recreating this exhibition, the Kunstmuseum Luzern is not only celebrating these artistic achievements but also highlighting the importance of cultural institutions in preserving and promoting artistic freedom. The current exhibition allows visitors to understand the historical context in which these revolutionary works were created and displayed, offering insight into both the artistic innovations of the period and the political tensions that surrounded them.

The fact that some of the original works are now lost forever adds poignancy to this reconstruction, serving as a reminder of how political persecution and war can result in irreplaceable cultural losses. The recreation thus serves multiple purposes: as an art exhibition, a historical document, and a testament to the enduring power of creative expression in the face of oppression.