The art of the Third Reich in the period from 1933 until 1945 served as a means of propaganda and the spread of Nazi ideology, but also as a visual representation of the ideals that the German people were supposed to follow. The painters who were close to the regime rarely thematically and formally deviated from given guidelines and in this period of modernistic aspirations German painting returned to traditional and academic forms. The quality of artistic production had fallen due to emigration of many artists or from a ban on their activities, or both. The painting of the Third Reich could easily be stylistically placed in the 19th century without the context of its creation and ideological guidelines, but it very faithfully depicts what art had to be during the period of Nazi rule in Germany. The Independent State of Croatia was established in 1941. It, under the strong influence of the Third Reich, consequently shaped almost every aspect of local daily life and politics. Inspired by totalitarian regimes, mainly by Nazism, the Croatian art of the 1940s implemented patterns transferred from Nazi-Kunst – from the selection of themes to organizing exhibitions of the same type. Croatian newspapers published articles and reviews praising German art and vice versa. Nevertheless, Croatian painting in the period from 1941 to 1945, although heavily influenced by Nazi ideology, often used the artistic language of the avant-garde and modernism in its themes. In spite of the fact that this could be said for German art (to a lesser extent), in Croatia we simultaneously observe influences of impressionism, post-impressionism, expressionism and modernism (despite the general dominance of academism and classicism). We can interpret this as a consequence of the contact Croatian painters had with contemporary art while studying abroad and staying in European metropolises, mainly Paris and Rome. The painting of the 1940s in Croatia, colored by nationalism and traditionalism, is poorly covered in the literature, while on the other hand, the painting of the Third Reich has been a topic of many books, scientific articles, documentary series and films. The aim of this paper is to present the chronology, themes, painters and exhibition activity of German and Croatian art and to identify their similarities and differences.