The Monuments Men @themonumentsmen-blog - Tumblr Blog

The End

The work that the Monuments Men and women accomplished is difficult to comprehend. Their contribution not only to the art world, but to western civilization will never be forgotten. It is men and women like them who allow a student like me to not only learn about these masterpieces, but to go to a museum and actually see in person and appreciate all the beauty around me. I hope you all have enjoyed my blog and have learned something new! My goal starting this blog was to educate the world about these wonderful men and women and history behind their story and if I have spread the word to only one person, then I hope you will share my blog with others, so they can learn as well! Thank you for your time!

P.S.

I would like to give a special thank you to Professor Zawadzki for this project! I have really enjoyed learning about these people and have had a lovely time putting my personality into this blog!

lonequixote

The Birth of Venus ~ Sandro Botticelli

cavetocanvas

Lady With An Ermine - Leonardo da Vinci, 1483-1490

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I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that the Czartoryski family owned a Da Vinci painting and this is it. It was gifted, along with the Raphael, to Izabela by her eldest son (Raiders). Although it was stolen by the Nazi’s, it was, thankfully, recovered at the end of the war.

Raiders of the Lost Art: Monuments Men [Television series episode]. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2016, from https://www.netflix.com/search?q=raiders of the lost art

#davinci #stolenart

madebyabvh

Boredom Vermeer - The Astronomer

cavetocanvas

Ghent Altarpiece (open) - Jan van Eyck, 1423-32

life-imitates-art-far-more

Rembrandt (1606-1669) “The Night Watch” (1642) Oil on canvas Dutch Golden Age Located in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

“The Night Watch” is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings and is window 16 in the Canon of Amsterdam, which is a list of fifty subjects, called “windows,“containing important events and developments in the history of Amsterdam.

Artwork Saved

I did not want to leave you guys on a sour note, or with a sense of hopelessness with all the work that is still lost. Instead, I wanted to end on a happy note! Below I have provided a link that lists 10 of the most valuable works of art saved by the Monuments Men. My next few posts will showcase these pieces. If all the artwork saved by the Monuments Men (and women) was compiled into an iceberg, this list would only be the tiny snowflake at the tip of the iceberg.

http://listverse.com/2014/11/15/10-priceless-works-of-art-rescued-by-the-monuments-men/

Wynalda, S. (2014, November 15). 10 Priceless Works Of Art Rescued By The Monuments Men - Listverse. Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://listverse.com/2014/11/15/10-priceless-works-of-art-rescued-by-the-monuments-men/

#MonumentsMen #savetheart

The Monuments Men saved countless pieces of art during and after World War II, however, many artworks are still lost to this day. Time magazine has published a wonderful article outlining the “Top 10 Most Wanted Missing Art Works from World War II” (Paramaguru). On this list was Portrait of a Young Man by Raphael. This painting is considered by some the most important artwork still missing from WWII. Painted in 1513, it displays a young man wearing very elegant clothes sitting at a table which is covered in a patterned rug (Grabski). The room has a window to the right that showcases a landscape (Grabski). This painting is typical of Northern-Italian Painting. It is speculated that this work might be a self-portrait of Raphael himself (Raiders).

Now that I’ve provided some background information on the painting, I want to discuss the Czartoryski’s family (the owners of the painting at the time of the theft). The Czartoryski’s were one the great aristocratic families of Poland at the time (Raiders). Izabela Czartoryski, the mother, started a museum in their palace to display her art collection (Raiders). Her eldest son presented the Raphael painting as a gift for his mother. The family attempted to save their paintings and transported this painting, along with a Da Vinci and Rembrandt which they owned out of Krakow to their countryside home (Raiders). At this location, they hid the paintings behind a false brick wall, however, this did not stop the Gestapo from finding and confiscating the paintings (Grabski).Hans Frank, the governor of occupied Poland, took these three paintings and added them to his personal collection in his home (Raiders). At the end of the war, the Da Vinci and Rembrandt were recovered, but unfortunately, the Raphael was not. Since then there have been rumors of its discovery, but all have turned out to be a hoax. Hopefully, in the near future, this painting will turn up. Some art historians speculate that it could be sitting in the attic of someone’s home. The idea that this beautiful and priceless piece of work could be collecting dust in someone’s attic just boggles my mind!

Grabski, J. (2004). The Lost" Portrait of a Young Man"(Attributed to Raphael) from the Collection of the Princes Czartoryski Family in Cracow. A Contribution to Studies on the Typology of the Renaissance Portrait. Artibus et Historiae, 215-239.

Paramaguru, K. (2013, November 7). Top Ten Most Valuable Art Works Missing From the Second World War. Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://world.time.com/2013/11/07/the-top-10-most-wanted-missing-art-works-from-world-war-ii/

Raiders of the Lost Art: Monuments Men [Television series episode]. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2016, from https://www.netflix.com/search?q=raiders of the lost art

#raphael #czartoryski #lostart

My blog discussing the Monuments Men would not be complete without mentioning George Stout, the foreman of the group. Unlike James Rorimer and many of his other peers, George did not come from a privileged background, he was a “blue-collar kid” who grew up in a small town in Iowa (Art). After serving in WWI, Stout returned to Iowa to receive his bachelor’s degree in Art in 1921 (Monuments). George then became a professor to earn money for his study abroad trip to Europe (Monuments). 1926 marked the year that Stout began his graduate studies at Harvard (Art). George Stout’s reputation as a legendary art conservator began with his work at the conservation department of Harvard’s Fogg museum (Art). There he conducted research and made breakthroughs in “color spectroscopy, paint composition, methods of authentication, and the influence of atmospheric conditions on works of art” (Monuments). George Stout was a brilliant man who helped move art conservation to more than just an art, but made it into a science.

As World War II was just getting started, George followed Europe’s lead and led the effort to evacuate and safeguard artwork in the United States. He helped create the American Harvard Group which ten established the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, later known as the Roberts Commission (Monuments). In 1943, George enlisted in the US Navy and began developing camouflage techniques for military aircraft (Art). In June of 1944, he was transferred to the MFAA (Monuments). He was chosen as their leader not only because of his expertise, but also because he had previous war experience. The majority of the Monuments Men did not have any previous war experience, which was essential to the role of a leader for many reasons. The first reason is that they were in a war, and the leader needed to understand war language and tactics. It was important that their leader is able to communicate with other wartime leaders. The second reason was that other military leaders were reluctant to take orders from a man with no previous military experience. Due to George Stout’s previous experience in World War I, there was some credibility established. George Stout was delegated with the task of telling these captains and lieutenants where they could fight and where they could not. These military leaders were told that they had to avoid and minimize damage to historical monuments and sites and were reluctant to listen. For example, soldiers and civilians were reluctant to adhere to signs that read “Off Limits”, so in order to fix the problem, Stout created signs that read “DANGER: MINES!” (Art). What a clever fellow!

Stout’s leadership and guidance were invaluable and is perfectly described by fellow Monuments Man Walker Hancock, “I can’t imagine what we would have done without George Stout’s experienced guidance. . . art treasures of incalculable value were secured and preserved… due to his [Stout’s] energetic and resourceful action” (Monuments).

The Art Army. (2010, January). Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://harvardmagazine.com/2010/01/monuments-men-rescuing-art-stolen-by-nazis

The Monuments Men. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2016, from http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/the-heroes/the-monuments-men/

#monumentsmen #georgestout #leader

The photo above shows James Rorimer (standing in the background) with three soldiers who are carrying art pieces out of Neuschwanstein castle.

The Paintings behind the Monuments Men Cover. (2014, June 18). Retrieved December 03, 2016, from http://www.monumentsmen.com/blog/tag/nazis/

#monumentsmen #jamesrorimer #neuschwansteincastle

Rose Valland was very reluctant to hand over her notes to the Monuments Men because she was afraid that the Americans would keep the work for themselves (Hunting). James Rorimer worked to develop a trusting relationship with Valland. She was finally convinced to share her records, however, she had one stipulation. The majority of the work was located in Germany and Rose wanted James to be there himself in order to ensure the recovery and return of these artworks to France (Hunting). Rose invited James over for dinner to share this information with him. As James sat at the table, Rose presented him with stacks of paper and photographs (Hunting). These papers contained the most important piece of information, the location of the repositories where the Nazi’s stored the looted art (Hunting).

With this information, Rorimer was able to locate one of the largest repositories, Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps (Hunting). Inside were more than 20,000 stolen treasures including paintings by Ruben, Rembrandt, and Gainsborough (Monuments). This was one of the main locations of looted art from Jews in France (Hunting). Even more importantly, the castle contained the Nazi theft catalog outlining all of the pieces that they had looted and all the works they were planning on lootings (Hunting). The records also contained information on where the stolen art had come from, who they belonged to, and where they were destined for (Hunting). This was a breakthrough in the Monuments Men’s efforts by Valland and Rorimer.

Hunting Hitler's Stolen Treasure: The Monuments Men [Television broadcast]. (2014, February 10). National Geographic. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2MSmogbyC8

The Monuments Men. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2016, from http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/the-heroes/the-monuments-men/

#MonumentsMen #neuschwanstein #rosevalland #Jamesrorimer

James Rorimer graduated from Harvard and started working the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1927 (Monuments). He went on to become a curator at the Met and one of the premier museum directors of the 20th century (Monuments). Exposure to great public collections started at a young age with his trips to Europe. His love for art grew and he eventually went on to publish scholarly work on using ultraviolent rays to examine works of art (Monuments). In 1943, Rorimer was drafted in the US army and became one of the first Monuments Men in the field. James began personally investigating the “looting of private French collections by the ERR” (Monuments).

The Monuments Men. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2016, from http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/the-heroes/the-monuments-men/

#JamesRorimer Monumentsmen

Captain Rose Valland was a highly educated and experienced young woman. She earned two degrees, one of them in Art History, from the Ecole Des Beaux-Art in Lyon and also studied at the Ecole in Paris (Monuments). Her career at the Jeu de Paume began as an unpaid volunteer, however, when the official curator fell ill, Rose became the assistant curator (Monuments). As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, the Jeu de Paume museum became the headquarters for the ERR during the occupation of Paris (Monuments). They would use this museum to store paintings and other artwork stolen from other museums and private French collectors, mainly Jews. It was layover point for artwork on their way to their final destination, Germany. The Nazi’s did not see her as a threat, so they allowed her to stay at the museum during the occupation. The ERR thought she was just monitoring building maintenance, heat, and electricity, however, little did they know that she was conspiring against them (Hunting). Valland understood German, a fact which she kept secret from the Nazi’s (what a clever spy) (Hunting). This was probably another reason that the ERR did not see her as a threat, how can a woman who does not even understand German pose any danger to such a powerful institution, the Nazi’s. Because she was able to understand German, she was privy, unbeknownst to the Nazi’s, of critical information regarding the stolen art. She kept accurate records “on destinations of train car shipments filled with looted art” (Monuments). These records were “treasure maps leading to the discovery of multiple repositories” (Monuments). Rose relayed this information to the French Resistance, however, the Monuments Men also wanted access to these documents. James Rorimer was assigned with the task of retrieving these documents from Rose Valland, but it would not be so simple.

Hunting Hitler's Stolen Treasure: The Monuments Men [Television broadcast]. (2014, February 10). National Geographic. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2MSmogbyC8

The Monuments Men. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2016, from http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/the-heroes/the-monuments-men/

#rosevalland #monumentswoman

The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section, or more commonly known as the Monuments Men, was assembled in 1943 as a joint effort by the Allies, 10 years after the Nazi looting of art began (Hunting). These people were a group of museum directors, curators, art historians, and artists themselves who volunteered for service in World War II. Almost 350 men and women from 13 different countries joined the cause to save rather than destroy in war. Their initial task was to assist troops in protecting churches, museums and cultural artifacts from damage. However, as the Allies began to gain more ground in Europe, their focus shifted to rescue and recovery of art stolen by the Nazi’s (Klein).

For this blog, I have chosen to focus on three Monuments men and women: Rose Valland, James Rorimer, and George Stout. My next few posts will highlight who these men and women were and their contribution to the rescue efforts.

Hunting Hitler's Stolen Treasure: The Monuments Men [Television broadcast]. (2014, February 10). National Geographic. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2MSmogbyC8

Klein, C. (2014). The Real-Life Story Behind “The Monuments Men”. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from http://www.history.com/news/the-real-life-story-behind-the-monuments-men

#MonumentsMen

Adolf Hitler did not solely take art to destroy it, but also to showcase it. Select pieces would be displayed in the Fuhrermuseum. The Fuhrermuseum was Adolf’s dream museum that was to be located in his hometown of Linz and it would display Europe’s greatest works- Aryan art (Hunting). The museum was a fusion of his passion for art and his promotion of the Aryan race and culture. The above photo is a scaled model of Hitler’s master planned Fuhrermuseum.

Hunting Hitler's Stolen Treasure: The Monuments Men [Television broadcast]. (2014, February 10). National Geographic. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2MSmogbyC8

#Fuhrermuseum WWII

grupaok

Auction of 125 artworks confiscated from German museums in 1937, at Galerie Theodor Fischer, Lucerne, Switzerland — with Vincent van Gogh’s Self Portrait, 1888, on the block.

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Other degenerate art was labeled to be sold or destroyed (Hunting).

Hunting Hitler's Stolen Treasure: The Monuments Men [Television broadcast]. (2014, February 10). National Geographic. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2MSmogbyC8

Some of the stolen art was added to the personal collections of Nazi leaders such as Hans Frank who was the Governor-General of Poland appointed by Hitler after the Nazi invasion. Art works in his collection included Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo Da Vinci and Portrait of a Young Man by Raphael (Raiders). Hans is pictured standing to the left of Adolf Hitler.

Raiders of the Lost Art: Monuments Men [Television series episode]. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2016, from https://www.netflix.com/search?q=raiders of the lost art

#Hans Frank Stolen Art WWII

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