Bildersturm

Bildersturm (literally "storm of images") is a German term used to describe iconoclastic campaigns that target visual imagery, especially religious art. The word combines Bilder (images) and Sturm (storm) and is employed to emphasize the aggressive destruction, removal, or suppression of images and images’ meaning in a given context.

Historically, Bildersturm is most closely associated with the Protestant Reformation in German-speaking lands during the 16th century. In various cities and regions, reforms led to the removal, desecration, or destruction of Catholic altars, statues, stained glass, and other sacred imagery as part of a broader break with Catholic iconography. The scale and intensity of these acts varied by locale and were influenced by local political and religious dynamics.

In modern historiography the term has also been applied to more recent episodes of iconoclastic campaigns. Notably, during the Nazi era in the 1930s and 1940s, campaigns against modern visual culture included the confiscation, censorship, and public denunciation of art deemed degenerate. Some historians describe these efforts as a form of Bildersturm, illustrating the regime’s attempt to purge visual culture and remake German art according to ideological lines. The label emphasizes the confrontational, transformative nature of these campaigns, though it is not as standardized a term as others like Degenerate Art (Entartete Kunst).

Beyond these periods, Bildersturm can be used more broadly to describe revolutions or political upheavals that suppress or destroy imagery as part of a broader ideological project.