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A review by bookish1ifedeb
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel
4.0
When World War II began, few people were concerned about the potential loss of paintings, sculpture, documents, religious icons and art, or even renowned buildings. But incidents early in the War where notable structures were destroyed by the fighting made enough of an impression on world leaders that the Allies agreed to form a special division aimed at protecting and preserving the great art and cultural artifacts of the Western world. This group was called the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section (MFAA), and the men and women assigned to it became known simply as Monuments Men.
They were a diverse group--curators of major museums, and artists; historians and architects; scholars and archaeologists. They had no clear directive, and most worked alone or in pairs, as individual Monuments Men were assigned to each battle group. Each had to contend with Army bureaucracy, as well as a complete lack of supplies, transportation or assistants--there was a war on, and the MFAA mission got last pick of essentials.
This book follows just eight of the sixty or so Monuments Men who were in Europe between D-Day and V-E Day (after the war's end, their number swelled to 350). Those eight men figured in the recovery of millions of looted artworks, as well as altarpieces, priceless antiques and religious artifacts of Western Europe, and, of course, of the millions of Jewish families executed in the death camps. Hitler, the failed art student, had grandiose dreams of a massive cultural center surrounding his own great Fuhrermuseum, and he greedily hand-picked the choicest Masterworks for that goal. Meanwhile, other Nazis acquired their own lesser artworks, usually for bragging rights (or to use as collateral for escape plans when the War ended). The MFAA discovered thousands of caches of art before they concluded their mission. Most of it was returned to the countries of origin, but many great works vanished, either destroyed or hidden and still missing.
It's an amazing story, full of heroes and scoundrels, comedy and tragedy, chance meetings and narrow rescues. Today scarcely anyone remembers the MFAA. But the cultural treasures they saved are among the most valued objects of our history and culture today.
They were a diverse group--curators of major museums, and artists; historians and architects; scholars and archaeologists. They had no clear directive, and most worked alone or in pairs, as individual Monuments Men were assigned to each battle group. Each had to contend with Army bureaucracy, as well as a complete lack of supplies, transportation or assistants--there was a war on, and the MFAA mission got last pick of essentials.
This book follows just eight of the sixty or so Monuments Men who were in Europe between D-Day and V-E Day (after the war's end, their number swelled to 350). Those eight men figured in the recovery of millions of looted artworks, as well as altarpieces, priceless antiques and religious artifacts of Western Europe, and, of course, of the millions of Jewish families executed in the death camps. Hitler, the failed art student, had grandiose dreams of a massive cultural center surrounding his own great Fuhrermuseum, and he greedily hand-picked the choicest Masterworks for that goal. Meanwhile, other Nazis acquired their own lesser artworks, usually for bragging rights (or to use as collateral for escape plans when the War ended). The MFAA discovered thousands of caches of art before they concluded their mission. Most of it was returned to the countries of origin, but many great works vanished, either destroyed or hidden and still missing.
It's an amazing story, full of heroes and scoundrels, comedy and tragedy, chance meetings and narrow rescues. Today scarcely anyone remembers the MFAA. But the cultural treasures they saved are among the most valued objects of our history and culture today.