This Europe: Artful Hitlers return to old Viennese haunt

Adolf Hitler has returned to Vienna. He can be seen at his old haunt of Karl's Square, indulging in his former pastime of painting. But, as the late summer sun bathes the square's grandiose Baroque church, only a few passers-by seem to recognise the artist at the easel.

His long ponytail and feathery beard could be throwing them off the scent, but you can hardly mistake the moustache. For about €15 (£9.50) an hour Hansel Sato, 33, is modelling it and painting buildings around the square for five hours a day, as part of an art project entitled Plein Air. The Peruvian, and the half dozen or so Hitler impersonators taking part, are all students of the Academy of Fine Arts.

As a young man Hitler moved from upper Austria to Vienna to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. He tried to secure a place at the academy, but failed the entrance exam twice.

The works of the artists who have been stepping into Hitler's shadow this week are on display in the Kunsthalle museum, located off Karl's Square. The official exhibition opens today.

The project is the idea of a Polish artist, Robert Rumas, which was selected from six rival projects for the square in a competition organised for "Polish Year". Georg Schöllhammer, an art publicist who sat on the jury, said the project "gives us Hitler back, in an 'earlier' state, as a twice-rejected applicant for the academy".

But the Polish Institute has withdrawn its support for Plein Air, arguing that Poland has no right to "confront a basically random audience with an ambiguous subject matter".