Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program
Encyclopedia
The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied
armies was established in 1943 to assist in the protection and restitution of cultural property in war areas during and following World War II
. This group of men and women joined military forces to protect historic and cultural monuments from war damage, and as the war came to a close, worked to locate and return works of art and other items of cultural importance which had been stolen by the Nazis
or hidden for safekeeping.
Many of the approximately 400 enlisted members and civilians of the MFAA, also known as Monuments Men, went on to have prolific careers. Largely art historians and museum personnel, they had formative roles in the growth of many of the United States’ greatest cultural institutions, including the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York City Ballet, as well as in museums and other institutions in Europe.
(ACLS) were working to identify and protect European art and monuments in harm’s way or in danger of Nazi plundering. Together these groups began lobbying for a national organization affiliated with the military which would have the same goal. Francis Henry Taylor
, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, took their concerns to Washington, D.C. Their efforts ultimately led to the establishment by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
of the “American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas” on June 23, 1943.
Commonly referred to as the Roberts Commission
after its chairman, Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts, this commission was charged with promoting the preservation of cultural properties in war areas, including the European, Mediterranean, and Far Eastern Theaters of Operations, providing that this mission did not interfere with military operations. The Roberts Commission provided lists and reports on European cultural treasures to military units on the ground, in hopes that these monuments would be protected whenever possible.
A vital contribution of the Roberts Commission was the establishment of the MFAA branch within the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied armies, whose goal was to protect and salvage cultural property in war areas. After the war, the Roberts Commission assisted the MFAA and Allied Forces in restituting Nazi-confiscated artworks to rightful owners. It also promoted public awareness of looted cultural works. The Roberts Commission was headquartered at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The group was officially dissolved in June 1946, when the State Department took over their duties and functions.
General
Dwight D. Eisenhower
did his part to facilitate the work of the MFAA by forbidding looting, destruction, and billeting in structures of cultural significance. He also repeatedly and authoritatively ordered that his forces were to assist the MFAA as much as possible. This was the first time in history an army attempted to fight a war and at the same time mitigate damage to cultural monuments and property.
, Europe, commanded by Eisenhower), and were actively involved in battle preparations. In preparing to take Florence
, which was used by the Nazis as a supply distribution center due to its central location in Italy
, Allied troops relied on aerial photographs provided by the MFAA which were marked with monuments of cultural importance so that pilots could avoid damaging such sites during bombings.
When damage to monuments did occur, MFAA personnel worked to assess damage and buy time for the eventual restoration work that would follow. Monuments officer Deane Keller
had a prominent role in saving the Campo Santo in Pisa
after a mortar round started a fire that melted the lead roof, which then bled down the iconic 14th century fresco
-covered walls. Keller led a team of Italian and American troops and restorers in recovering the remaining fragments of the frescoes and in building a temporary roof to protect the structure from further damage. Restoration of the frescoes continues even today.
Countless other monuments, churches, and works of art were saved or protected by the dedicated personnel of the MFAA section. Frequently entering liberated towns and cities ahead of ground troops, Monuments Men worked quickly to assess damage and make temporary repairs before moving on with Allied Armies as they conquered Nazi territory.
and the Nazis, while others had been legitimately evacuated from German museums for safekeeping. Monuments Men oversaw the safeguarding, cataloguing, removal and packing of all works from these repositories, regardless of their origin.
In Italy, museum officials had evacuated their holdings to various countryside locations such as the Tuscan
villa of Montegufoni, which housed some of the Florentine collections. As Allied Forces advanced through Italy, the German army retreated north, stealing paintings and sculptures from these repositories as they fled. As German forces neared the Austria
n border, they were forced to store most of their loot in various hiding places such as a castle at Sand in Taufers
and a jail cell in San Leonardo
.
Beginning in late March 1945, Allied forces began discovering these hidden repositories in what would become the “greatest treasure hunt in history.” In Germany alone, U.S forces found approximately 1,500 repositories of art and cultural objects. These hiding places contained objects looted from institutions and individuals across Europe, as well as German and Austrian museum collections that had been evacuated for safekeeping. Soviet forces also made significant discoveries, such as treasures from the extraordinary Dresden Transport Museum
. The following is a select list of repositories discovered by Monuments Men in Germany, Austria, and Italy:
Berchtesgaden
, Germany: The 101st Airborne Division
, known as the “Screaming Eagles,” found more than 1,000 paintings and sculptures stolen by German Reichsmarschall
Hermann Göring
. The cache had been evacuated from his country estate, Carinhall
, and moved to Berchtesgaden in April 1945 to protect it from the invading Russians.
Bernterode
, Germany: Americans found four coffins containing the remains of Germany’s greatest leaders, including those of Frederick the Great (Frederick II of Prussia
) and field marshal
Paul Von Hindenburg
. Also found in the mine were 271 paintings, including court portraits from the Prussia
n Sanssouci
palace in Potsdam
, Germany, which had been hidden behind a locked door and a brick wall nearly five feet thick. The site was originally used as an ammunition and military supply complex manned by hundreds of slave laborers.
Merkers, Germany: The Kaiserode mine at Merkers was discovered by the U.S. 3rd Army under General George S. Patton
in April 1945. Reichsbank
gold, along with 400 paintings from the Berlin museums and numerous other crates of treasures were also discovered. More dismal discoveries included gold and personal belongings from Nazi concentration camp victims.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany: Over 6,000 items including ERR (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, Alfred Rosenberg
’s task force organized for the “legalized” looting of Jews) documents, furniture, jewelry (see Nazi gold
), paintings and other belongings stolen by the ERR from private collectors in France
were found here. Monuments Man Capt. James Rorimer
oversaw the repository’s evacuation.
Altaussee
, Austria: This extensive complex of salt mines served as a huge repository for art stolen by the Nazis, but it also contained holdings from Austrian collections. More than 6,500 paintings alone were discovered at Altaussee. The contents included:
Belgian-owned treasures such as Michelangelo
’s Madonna of Bruges
stolen from the Church of Our Lady in Bruges
, and Jan van Eyck
’s Ghent Altarpiece
stolen from Saint Bavo Cathedral
in Ghent
; Vermeer’s The Astronomer and The Art of Painting
which were to be focal points of Hitler’s Führermuseum
in Linz
, Austria; and paintings from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples
, Italy that had been stolen by the Hermann Göring Tank Division (Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
) at Monte Cassino
in Italy.
San Leonardo
, Italy: In the jail cell of this very northern town, Allied officials discovered paintings from the Uffizi
that had been hurriedly unloaded by retreating German troops. Among the masterpieces were paintings by Sandro Botticelli
, Filippo Lippi
and Giovanni Bellini
.
By July 1945, U.S. forces had established two central collecting points within the U.S. Zone in Germany: Munich
and Wiesbaden
. Secondary collecting points were also established in various German towns, including: Bad Wildungen
, Heilbronn
, Marburg
, Nuremberg
, and Oberammergau
. One of the more critical of these secondary collecting points was at Offenbach
, where officials processed millions of Nazi-looted books, archives, manuscripts, Jewish objects such as Torah scrolls, and property seized from Masonic lodges.
In summer 1945, Capt. Walter Farmer became the collecting point's first director. The first shipment of artworks arriving at Wiesbaden. When his superiors ordered that he send back to the U.S. 202 paintings in his custody, Farmer and 35 others who were in charge of the Wiesbaden collection point gathered to draw up what has become known as the Wiesbaden manifesto
on 7 November 1945, declaring "We wish to state that, from our own knowledge, no historical grievance will rankle so long or be the cause of so much justified bitterness as the removal for any reason of a part of the heritage of any nation even if that heritage may be interpreted as a prize of war." Among the co-signers was Lt. Charles Percy Parkhurst
in the U.S. Navy.
Once an object arrived at a collecting point, it was recorded, photographed, studied, and sometimes conserved so that it could be restituted to its country of origin as soon as possible. Some objects were easily identifiable and could be quickly returned, such as the Veit Stoss
Altar of Veit Stoss
from St. Mary's Basilica
in Kraków
, which had been discovered in the Nuremberg Castle
. Others, such as unmarked paintings or library collections, were much more difficult to process.
Munich Central Collecting Point
(MCP): Monuments officer Lt. Craig Hugh Smyth established the MCP in July 1945. He converted the former Führerbau, which housed Hitler’s office, into a functional art depot complete with photography studios and conservation labs. This facility primarily housed art stolen by the ERR from private collections and Hitler’s collection found at Altaussee.
Wiesbaden Collecting Point (WCP): Monuments officer Capt. Walter Farmer helped establish this facility in July 1945. Art from the Berlin
museums and other items found in the mines at Merkers were processed here. Museum collections stored at Siegen
and Grasleben
also were sent to Wiesbaden.
Offenbach Collecting Point (OCP): Established in July 1945 in the I.G. Farben building on the Main River just outside Frankfurt
, Offenbach primarily served as an archival depot. Because the OCP housed the largest collection of Jewish cultural property in the world, including the entire holdings of the Rothschild Library in Frankfurt and cultural objects from Masonic lodges, restitutions were complicated. Identification of the millions of books, religious objects and other materials was tedious. Many of the owners had become victims of the Holocaust leaving no one alive to pursue claims. The facility was closed in 1948 and its remaining unclaimed items were transferred to Wiesbaden.
Douglas MacArthur
was Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
in Japan after the war ended. During the occupation of Japan, MacArthur's staff included an MFAA section. Among those serving in Tokyo
were Lt. Col.
Harold Gould Henderson
, Maj.
Laurence Sickman
and Lt. Sherman Lee
and Lt. Patrick Lennox Tierney
.
, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, the Museum of Modern Art
, the Toledo Museum of Art
, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
, among many others, benefited from the leadership of Monuments Men.
Many other Monuments Men were professors at esteemed universities such as Harvard, Yale
, Princeton
, New York University
, Williams College
, and Columbia University
, among others. Two MFAA men in particular, Paul Sachs and S. Lane Faison
, were instrumental in instructing several generations of museum directors and curators. Sachs’ famous “Museum Course” at Harvard educated dozens of future museum personnel in the decades preceding World War II. Faison’s passion for art history was passed on to hundreds of students and future museum leaders at Williams College in the 1960s and 1970s, some of whom are currently directors at major United States museums.
Other MFAA personnel were founders, presidents, and members of cultural institutions such as the New York City Ballet
, the American Association of Museums
, the American Association of Museum Directors, the Archaeological Institute of America
, the Society of Architectural Historians
, the American Society of Landscape Architects
, and the National Endowment for the Humanities
and the National Endowment for the Arts
, as well as respected artists, architects, musicians, and archivist
s.
Two monuments officers were killed while helping to rescue cultural treasures in Europe: Captain Walter Huchthausen, an American scholar and architect attached to the U.S. 9th Army in France and Germany; and Maj. Ronald Edmund Balfour, a British scholar attached to the 2nd Canadian Army in France and Germany.
Among the thirteen living Monuments men is Lt. Robert A. Koch—Professor of Fine Arts and Archeology Emeritus, Princeton University
, now residing in Burnsville, NC.
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
armies was established in 1943 to assist in the protection and restitution of cultural property in war areas during and following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This group of men and women joined military forces to protect historic and cultural monuments from war damage, and as the war came to a close, worked to locate and return works of art and other items of cultural importance which had been stolen by the Nazis
Nazi plunder
Nazi plunder refers to art theft and other items stolen as a result of the organized looting of European countries during the time of the Third Reich by agents acting on behalf of the ruling Nazi Party of Germany. Plundering occurred from 1933 until the end of World War II, particularly by military...
or hidden for safekeeping.
Many of the approximately 400 enlisted members and civilians of the MFAA, also known as Monuments Men, went on to have prolific careers. Largely art historians and museum personnel, they had formative roles in the growth of many of the United States’ greatest cultural institutions, including the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York City Ballet, as well as in museums and other institutions in Europe.
Formation
Prior to American involvement in World War II, art professionals and organizations such as the American Defense Harvard Group and the American Council of Learned SocietiesAmerican Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
(ACLS) were working to identify and protect European art and monuments in harm’s way or in danger of Nazi plundering. Together these groups began lobbying for a national organization affiliated with the military which would have the same goal. Francis Henry Taylor
Francis Henry Taylor
Francis Henry Taylor was a distinguished American museum director and curator, heading the Metropolitan Museum of Art for fifteen years.He was born in Philadelphia, and started his career as a curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art...
, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, took their concerns to Washington, D.C. Their efforts ultimately led to the establishment by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
of the “American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas” on June 23, 1943.
Commonly referred to as the Roberts Commission
Roberts Commission
Two presidentially-appointed commissions have been described as "the Roberts Commission." One related to the circumstances of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and another related to the protection of cultural resources during and following World War II...
after its chairman, Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts, this commission was charged with promoting the preservation of cultural properties in war areas, including the European, Mediterranean, and Far Eastern Theaters of Operations, providing that this mission did not interfere with military operations. The Roberts Commission provided lists and reports on European cultural treasures to military units on the ground, in hopes that these monuments would be protected whenever possible.
A vital contribution of the Roberts Commission was the establishment of the MFAA branch within the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied armies, whose goal was to protect and salvage cultural property in war areas. After the war, the Roberts Commission assisted the MFAA and Allied Forces in restituting Nazi-confiscated artworks to rightful owners. It also promoted public awareness of looted cultural works. The Roberts Commission was headquartered at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The group was officially dissolved in June 1946, when the State Department took over their duties and functions.
General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
did his part to facilitate the work of the MFAA by forbidding looting, destruction, and billeting in structures of cultural significance. He also repeatedly and authoritatively ordered that his forces were to assist the MFAA as much as possible. This was the first time in history an army attempted to fight a war and at the same time mitigate damage to cultural monuments and property.
“Prior to this war, no army had thought of protecting the monuments of the country in which and with which it was at war, and there were no precedents to follow.... All this was changed by a general order issued by Supreme Commander-in-Chief [General Eisenhower] just before he left Algiers, an order accompanied by a personal letter to all Commanders...the good name of the Army depended in great measure on the respect which it showed to the art heritage of the modern world.”
- —Lt. Col. Sir Leonard WoolleyLeonard WoolleySir Charles Leonard Woolley was a British archaeologist best known for his excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia...
, Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Officer
War operations
As Allied Forces made their way through Europe, liberating Nazi-occupied territories, Monuments Men were present in very small numbers at the front lines. Without handbooks, resources, or supervision, this initial handful of officers relied on their museum training and overall resourcefulness to perform their tasks. There was no established precedent for what they confronted. They worked in the field under the Operations Branch of SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary ForceSupreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force , was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was in command of SHAEF throughout its existence...
, Europe, commanded by Eisenhower), and were actively involved in battle preparations. In preparing to take Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, which was used by the Nazis as a supply distribution center due to its central location in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Allied troops relied on aerial photographs provided by the MFAA which were marked with monuments of cultural importance so that pilots could avoid damaging such sites during bombings.
When damage to monuments did occur, MFAA personnel worked to assess damage and buy time for the eventual restoration work that would follow. Monuments officer Deane Keller
Deane Keller
Deane Keller was an American artist, academic, soldier, art restorer and preservationist. He taught for 40 years at Yale University's School of Fine Arts.-Early life:Keller was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1901...
had a prominent role in saving the Campo Santo in Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
after a mortar round started a fire that melted the lead roof, which then bled down the iconic 14th century fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
-covered walls. Keller led a team of Italian and American troops and restorers in recovering the remaining fragments of the frescoes and in building a temporary roof to protect the structure from further damage. Restoration of the frescoes continues even today.
Countless other monuments, churches, and works of art were saved or protected by the dedicated personnel of the MFAA section. Frequently entering liberated towns and cities ahead of ground troops, Monuments Men worked quickly to assess damage and make temporary repairs before moving on with Allied Armies as they conquered Nazi territory.
Salt mines and castles
American and Allied Forces in Europe discovered hidden caches of priceless treasures, many of which had been looted by Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and the Nazis, while others had been legitimately evacuated from German museums for safekeeping. Monuments Men oversaw the safeguarding, cataloguing, removal and packing of all works from these repositories, regardless of their origin.
In Italy, museum officials had evacuated their holdings to various countryside locations such as the Tuscan
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
villa of Montegufoni, which housed some of the Florentine collections. As Allied Forces advanced through Italy, the German army retreated north, stealing paintings and sculptures from these repositories as they fled. As German forces neared the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n border, they were forced to store most of their loot in various hiding places such as a castle at Sand in Taufers
Sand in Taufers
Sand in Taufers is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 110 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 70 km northeast of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria....
and a jail cell in San Leonardo
San Leonardo
San Leonardo can refer to:*San Leonardo, Italy, a commune in the province of Udine *San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija, a municipality of Philippines...
.
Beginning in late March 1945, Allied forces began discovering these hidden repositories in what would become the “greatest treasure hunt in history.” In Germany alone, U.S forces found approximately 1,500 repositories of art and cultural objects. These hiding places contained objects looted from institutions and individuals across Europe, as well as German and Austrian museum collections that had been evacuated for safekeeping. Soviet forces also made significant discoveries, such as treasures from the extraordinary Dresden Transport Museum
Dresden Transport Museum
The Dresden Transport Museum displaysvehicles of all modes of transport, such as railway, shipping, road and air traffic, under one roof.The museum is housed in the Johanneum at the Neumarkt in Dresden, Germany...
. The following is a select list of repositories discovered by Monuments Men in Germany, Austria, and Italy:
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
, Germany: The 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
, known as the “Screaming Eagles,” found more than 1,000 paintings and sculptures stolen by German Reichsmarschall
Reichsmarschall
Reichsmarschall literally in ; was the highest rank in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II after the position of Supreme Commander held by Adolf Hitler....
Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
. The cache had been evacuated from his country estate, Carinhall
Carinhall
Carinhall was the country residence of Hermann Göring, built on a large hunting estate northeast of Berlin in the Schorfheide forest between the Großdöllner See and the Wuckersee in the north of Brandenburg....
, and moved to Berchtesgaden in April 1945 to protect it from the invading Russians.
Bernterode
Breitenworbis
Breitenworbis is a Thuringian municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Germany....
, Germany: Americans found four coffins containing the remains of Germany’s greatest leaders, including those of Frederick the Great (Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
) and field marshal
Generalfeldmarschall
Field Marshal or Generalfeldmarschall in German, was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
Paul Von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
. Also found in the mine were 271 paintings, including court portraits from the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Sanssouci
Sanssouci
Sanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
palace in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Germany, which had been hidden behind a locked door and a brick wall nearly five feet thick. The site was originally used as an ammunition and military supply complex manned by hundreds of slave laborers.
Merkers, Germany: The Kaiserode mine at Merkers was discovered by the U.S. 3rd Army under General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
in April 1945. Reichsbank
Reichsbank
The Reichsbank was the central bank of Germany from 1876 until 1945. It was founded on 1 January 1876 . The Reichsbank was a privately owned central bank of Prussia, under close control by the Reich government. Its first president was Hermann von Dechend...
gold, along with 400 paintings from the Berlin museums and numerous other crates of treasures were also discovered. More dismal discoveries included gold and personal belongings from Nazi concentration camp victims.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany: Over 6,000 items including ERR (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, Alfred Rosenberg
Alfred Rosenberg
' was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi Party. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart; he later held several important posts in the Nazi government...
’s task force organized for the “legalized” looting of Jews) documents, furniture, jewelry (see Nazi gold
Nazi gold
Nazi gold is the gold transferred by Nazi Germany to overseas banks during the Second World War. The regime executed a policy of looting the assets of its victims to finance the war, collecting the looted assets in central depositories. The occasional transfer of gold in return for currency took...
), paintings and other belongings stolen by the ERR from private collectors in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
were found here. Monuments Man Capt. James Rorimer
James Rorimer
James J. Rorimer , was an American museum curator and the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.-Biography:On his graduation from Harvard University in 1927, James Rorimer was immediately hired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, beginning a career with the Met that would last his entire...
oversaw the repository’s evacuation.
Altaussee
Altaussee
Altaussee is a small alpine Austrian village, nestled on the shores of the Altaussee lake, beneath the Loser Plateau. Occupying an area of 92 km², the village is home to 1,888 people. Altaussee is within the Salzkammergut region, in the state of Styria....
, Austria: This extensive complex of salt mines served as a huge repository for art stolen by the Nazis, but it also contained holdings from Austrian collections. More than 6,500 paintings alone were discovered at Altaussee. The contents included:
Belgian-owned treasures such as Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
’s Madonna of Bruges
Madonna of Bruges
The Madonna of Bruges is a marble sculpture by Michelangelo, of Mary with the infant Jesus.Michelangelo's depiction of the Madonna and Child differs significantly from earlier representations of the same subject, which tended to feature a pious Virgin smiling down on an infant held in her arms...
stolen from the Church of Our Lady in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, and Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck was a Flemish painter active in Bruges and considered one of the best Northern European painters of the 15th century....
’s Ghent Altarpiece
Ghent Altarpiece
The Ghent Altarpiece or Adoration of the Mystic Lamb is a very large and complex Early Netherlandish polyptych panel painting which is considered to be one of Belgium's masterpieces and one of the world's treasures.It was once in the Joost Vijdt chapel at Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium, but...
stolen from Saint Bavo Cathedral
Saint Bavo Cathedral
thumb|right|225px|Sint-Baafs CathedralThe Saint Bavo Cathedral is the seat of the diocese of Ghent. It is named for Saint Bavo of Ghent....
in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
; Vermeer’s The Astronomer and The Art of Painting
The Art of Painting
The Art of Painting, also known as The Allegory of Painting, and or Painter in his Studio, is a famous 17th century oil on canvas painting by Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Many art historians believe that it is an allegory of painting, hence the alternative title of the painting...
which were to be focal points of Hitler’s Führermuseum
Führermuseum
The Führermuseum was an unrealized museum complex planned by Adolf Hitler for the Austrian city of Linz to display the collection of art plundered or purchased by the Nazis throughout Europe during World War II.-Design:...
in Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, Austria; and paintings from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy that had been stolen by the Hermann Göring Tank Division (Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
The Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1. Hermann Göring was an élite German Luftwaffe armoured division. The HG saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and on the Eastern front...
) at Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
in Italy.
San Leonardo
San Leonardo, Italy
San Leonardo is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 60 km northwest of Trieste and about 25 km east of Udine. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,215 and an area of 27.0 km²...
, Italy: In the jail cell of this very northern town, Allied officials discovered paintings from the Uffizi
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
that had been hurriedly unloaded by retreating German troops. Among the masterpieces were paintings by Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance...
, Filippo Lippi
Filippo Lippi
Fra' Filippo Lippi , also called Lippo Lippi, was an Italian painter of the Italian Quattrocento .-Biography and works:...
and Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. His father was Jacopo Bellini, his brother was Gentile Bellini, and his brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it...
.
Restitutions
In early May 1945, Lt. Col. Geoffrey Webb, British MFAA chief at Eisenhower’s headquarters, proposed that U.S forces quickly prepare select buildings in Germany so that they might receive large shipments of artworks and other cultural property found in the numerous repositories. Eisenhower directed his subordinates to immediately begin preparing such buildings, ordering that art objects were to be handled only by MFAA personnel. Suitable locations with little damage and adequate storage space were difficult to find.By July 1945, U.S. forces had established two central collecting points within the U.S. Zone in Germany: Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
. Secondary collecting points were also established in various German towns, including: Bad Wildungen
Bad Wildungen
Bad Wildungen is a state-run spa and a small town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:-Location:...
, Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
, Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
, Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, and Oberammergau
Oberammergau
Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The town is famous for its production of a Passion Play, its woodcarvers, and the NATO School.-Passion Play:...
. One of the more critical of these secondary collecting points was at Offenbach
Offenbach (district)
Offenbach is a Kreis in the south of Hesse, Germany and is part of the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Neighbourhood districts are Main-Kinzig, Aschaffenburg, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Groß-Gerau and the cities of Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Offenbach.-History:The district Offenbach was first...
, where officials processed millions of Nazi-looted books, archives, manuscripts, Jewish objects such as Torah scrolls, and property seized from Masonic lodges.
In summer 1945, Capt. Walter Farmer became the collecting point's first director. The first shipment of artworks arriving at Wiesbaden. When his superiors ordered that he send back to the U.S. 202 paintings in his custody, Farmer and 35 others who were in charge of the Wiesbaden collection point gathered to draw up what has become known as the Wiesbaden manifesto
Wiesbaden manifesto
A book The Safekeepers: Memoir of the Arts at the End of World War II by former Capt. Walter I. Farmer of the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II, chronicles the recovery of and restitution of discovered hidden loot of the Nazi plunder, that were stolen from museums, private collections and...
on 7 November 1945, declaring "We wish to state that, from our own knowledge, no historical grievance will rankle so long or be the cause of so much justified bitterness as the removal for any reason of a part of the heritage of any nation even if that heritage may be interpreted as a prize of war." Among the co-signers was Lt. Charles Percy Parkhurst
Charles Percy Parkhurst
Charles Percy Parkhurst was an American museum curator best known for his work on the Roberts Commission, tracking down art looted during World War II.-Biography:...
in the U.S. Navy.
Once an object arrived at a collecting point, it was recorded, photographed, studied, and sometimes conserved so that it could be restituted to its country of origin as soon as possible. Some objects were easily identifiable and could be quickly returned, such as the Veit Stoss
Veit Stoss
Veit Stoss was a leading Bavarian sculptor, mostly in wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic and the Northern Renaissance. His style emphasized pathos and emotion, helped by his virtuoso carving of billowing drapery; it has been called "late Gothic Baroque"...
Altar of Veit Stoss
Altar of Veit Stoss
The Altarpiece of Veit Stoss , also St. Mary's Altar , is the largest Gothic altarpiece in the World and a national treasure of Poland. It is located behind the Communion table of St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków...
from St. Mary's Basilica
St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków
St. Mary's Basilica , is a Brick Gothic church re-built in the 14th century , adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland...
in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, which had been discovered in the Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Castle is a historical building on a sandstone rock in the north of the historical city of Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. It comprises three sections: the imperial castle , some buildings of the Burgraves of Nuremberg , and the municipal buildings of the Imperial City at the eastern site...
. Others, such as unmarked paintings or library collections, were much more difficult to process.
Munich Central Collecting Point
Munich Central Collecting Point
The Munich Central Collecting Point was a depot used by the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program after the end of the Second World War to process, photograph and redistribute artwork and cultural artefacts that had been confiscated by the Nazis and hidden throughout Germany and Austria...
(MCP): Monuments officer Lt. Craig Hugh Smyth established the MCP in July 1945. He converted the former Führerbau, which housed Hitler’s office, into a functional art depot complete with photography studios and conservation labs. This facility primarily housed art stolen by the ERR from private collections and Hitler’s collection found at Altaussee.
Wiesbaden Collecting Point (WCP): Monuments officer Capt. Walter Farmer helped establish this facility in July 1945. Art from the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
museums and other items found in the mines at Merkers were processed here. Museum collections stored at Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
and Grasleben
Grasleben
Grasleben is a municipality in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 10 km north of Helmstedt, and 20 km southeast of Wolfsburg.Grasleben is also the seat of the Samtgemeinde Grasleben....
also were sent to Wiesbaden.
Offenbach Collecting Point (OCP): Established in July 1945 in the I.G. Farben building on the Main River just outside Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Offenbach primarily served as an archival depot. Because the OCP housed the largest collection of Jewish cultural property in the world, including the entire holdings of the Rothschild Library in Frankfurt and cultural objects from Masonic lodges, restitutions were complicated. Identification of the millions of books, religious objects and other materials was tedious. Many of the owners had become victims of the Holocaust leaving no one alive to pursue claims. The facility was closed in 1948 and its remaining unclaimed items were transferred to Wiesbaden.
Occupation of Japan
GeneralGeneral of the Army (United States)
General of the Army is a five-star general officer and is the second highest possible rank in the United States Army. A special rank of General of the Armies, which ranks above General of the Army, does exist but has only been conferred twice in the history of the Army...
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
was Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...
in Japan after the war ended. During the occupation of Japan, MacArthur's staff included an MFAA section. Among those serving in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
were Lt. Col.
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
Harold Gould Henderson
Harold Gould Henderson
Harold Gould Henderson was an American academic, art historian and Japanologist. He was a Columbia University professor for twenty years...
, Maj.
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
Laurence Sickman
Laurence Sickman
Laurence Chalfant Stevens Sickman was an American academic, art historian, sinologist and Director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.-Education:...
and Lt. Sherman Lee
Sherman Lee
Sherman Emory Lee was an American academic, writer, art historian, and expert on Asian art. He was Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1958 to 1983....
and Lt. Patrick Lennox Tierney
Patrick Lennox Tierney
Patrick Lennox Tierney is a Japanologist academic in the field of art history, an emeritus professor of the University of Utah, a former Curator of Japanese Art at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, a former Director of the Pacific Asia Museum, and a former Commissioner of Art and Monuments during the...
.
MFAA personnel
The American museum establishment took the lead role in efforts that resulted in creation of the MFAA section. Included in this group were current museum directors, curators and art historians, as well as those who aspired to join their ranks. Upon returning home from service oversees, these remarkable men and women played instrumental leadership roles in building – and in other instances, enhancing – some of the greatest cultural institutions in the United States. Virtually every major museum employed one or more MFAA officers before or after the war. Institutions such as the National Gallery of ArtNational Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the Toledo Museum of Art
Toledo Museum of Art
The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio, United States. The museum was founded by Toledo glassmaker Edward Drummond Libbey in 1901, and moved to its present location, a Greek revival building designed by Edward B....
, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its neoclassical architecture and extensive collection of Asian art....
, among many others, benefited from the leadership of Monuments Men.
Many other Monuments Men were professors at esteemed universities such as Harvard, Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, among others. Two MFAA men in particular, Paul Sachs and S. Lane Faison
S. Lane Faison
S. Lane Faison was an art history professor at Williams College. Faison headed the art history department at Williams from 1940 to 1969 and remained on the full-time faculty until 1976. Several of his students went on to direct major museums including Earl A. Powell III of the National Gallery of...
, were instrumental in instructing several generations of museum directors and curators. Sachs’ famous “Museum Course” at Harvard educated dozens of future museum personnel in the decades preceding World War II. Faison’s passion for art history was passed on to hundreds of students and future museum leaders at Williams College in the 1960s and 1970s, some of whom are currently directors at major United States museums.
Other MFAA personnel were founders, presidents, and members of cultural institutions such as the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
, the American Association of Museum Directors, the Archaeological Institute of America
Archaeological Institute of America
The Archaeological Institute of America is a North American nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of public interest in archaeology, and the preservation of archaeological sites. It has offices on the campus of Boston University and in New York City.The institute was founded in 1879,...
, the Society of Architectural Historians
Society of Architectural Historians
The Society of Architectural Historians is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide....
, the American Society of Landscape Architects
American Society of Landscape Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects, with more than 17,000 members in 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 42 countries around the world, plus 68 student chapters...
, and the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
and the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, as well as respected artists, architects, musicians, and archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
s.
Two monuments officers were killed while helping to rescue cultural treasures in Europe: Captain Walter Huchthausen, an American scholar and architect attached to the U.S. 9th Army in France and Germany; and Maj. Ronald Edmund Balfour, a British scholar attached to the 2nd Canadian Army in France and Germany.
Select list of MFAA men
- Lt. Col. Ernest DeWald – Princeton University, Professor, Director of Art Museum
- Lt. Comdr. S. Lane FaisonS. Lane FaisonS. Lane Faison was an art history professor at Williams College. Faison headed the art history department at Williams from 1940 to 1969 and remained on the full-time faculty until 1976. Several of his students went on to direct major museums including Earl A. Powell III of the National Gallery of...
– Professor, Williams College - Capt. Walter Farmer – Interior Designer (First Director of MFAA)
- Capt. Deane KellerDeane KellerDeane Keller was an American artist, academic, soldier, art restorer and preservationist. He taught for 40 years at Yale University's School of Fine Arts.-Early life:Keller was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1901...
- Professor, Yale University - Capt. Harry Grier – Director, Frick CollectionFrick CollectionThe Frick Collection is an art museum located in Manhattan, New York City, United States.- History :It is housed in the former Henry Clay Frick House, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and constructed in 1913-1914. John Russell Pope altered and enlarged the building in the early 1930s to adapt...
- Capt. Mason HammondMason HammondMason Hammond , was a Harvard University professor, authority on Latin and the history of Rome and its empire, and former chairman of the board of trustees at St. Mark's School.Professor Hammond's work has proven highly durable...
- Harvard Classics professor - Lt. Col. Stratton HammonStratton HammonStratton Owen Hammon was a Louisville, Kentucky architect known for his Colonial Revival style homes.Hammon was a graduate of DuPont Manual High School in Louisville where he studied art and architectural drafting. He studied architecture briefly at the University of Louisville...
—Architect, Louisville, KY - Capt. Walker HancockWalker HancockWalker Kirtland Hancock was a 20th-century American sculptor and teacher. He created notable monumental sculptures, including the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
– Sculptor, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsPennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsThe Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,... - Lt. Col. Harold Gould HendersonHarold Gould HendersonHarold Gould Henderson was an American academic, art historian and Japanologist. He was a Columbia University professor for twenty years...
- President of the Japan Society in New York, 1948–1952 - Lt. Comdr.Lieutenant commander (United States)Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Thomas Carr Howe – Director, San Francisco Legion of Honor MuseumCalifornia Palace of the Legion of HonorThe California Palace of the Legion of Honor is a fine art museum in San Francisco, California... - Lt. Sheldon Keck – Art Conservator
- Pfc. Lincoln KirsteinLincoln KirsteinLincoln Edward Kirstein was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, and cultural figure in New York City...
– Founder, New York City BalletNew York City BalletNew York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company... - Maj. L. Bancel LaFargeL. Bancel LaFargeL. Bancel LaFarge was an American architect. He was a founding member of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.LaFarge was born into a prominent American family. His grandfather, John LaFarge, was a noted American artist...
– Architect - Lt. Sherman LeeSherman LeeSherman Emory Lee was an American academic, writer, art historian, and expert on Asian art. He was Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1958 to 1983....
– Director, Cleveland Museum of ArtCleveland Museum of ArtThe Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000... - Sgt. Kenneth C. Lindsay – Art History Professor, Binghamton UniversityBinghamton UniversityBinghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
(SUNYState University of New YorkThe State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
) - Lt. Col. Norman T. Newton - Landscape Architecture Prof., Harvard University
- Lt. Charles Percy ParkhurstCharles Percy ParkhurstCharles Percy Parkhurst was an American museum curator best known for his work on the Roberts Commission, tracking down art looted during World War II.-Biography:...
– National Gallery of ArtNational Gallery of ArtThe National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC... - Col. Seymour Pomrenze – U.S. Army Archivist
- Lt. Comdr. James Rorimer – Director, Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
- Maj. Laurence SickmanLaurence SickmanLaurence Chalfant Stevens Sickman was an American academic, art historian, sinologist and Director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.-Education:...
– Director, Nelson-Atkins Museum of ArtNelson-Atkins Museum of ArtThe Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its neoclassical architecture and extensive collection of Asian art.... - Lt. Craig Hugh Smyth – Art Historian, Professor, Director of Villa I Tatti
- Lt. Comdr. George Stout – Director, Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner MuseumThe Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...
- Rose VallandRose VallandRose Antonia Maria Valland was a French art historian, a member of the French Resistance, a captain in the French military, and one of the most decorated women in French history...
– French, LouvreLouvreThe Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
curator - Langdon WarnerLangdon WarnerLangdon Warner was an American art historian and Harvard Professor. He was one of the models for Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones. As an explorer/agent at the turn of the 20th century he studied the Silk Road...
– Archaeologist - Col. John Bryan Ward Perkins
- Maj. Otto Wittmann – Director, Toledo Museum of ArtToledo Museum of ArtThe Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio, United States. The museum was founded by Toledo glassmaker Edward Drummond Libbey in 1901, and moved to its present location, a Greek revival building designed by Edward B....
- Colonel Geoffrey WebbGeoffrey WebbGeoffrey Fairbank Webb was a British art historian, Slade Professor of Fine Art and head of the Monuments and Fine Arts section of the Control Commission during World War II....
– British Chief MFAA director - Lt. Col. Leonard WoolleyLeonard WoolleySir Charles Leonard Woolley was a British archaeologist best known for his excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia...
– British Archaeologist
Among the thirteen living Monuments men is Lt. Robert A. Koch—Professor of Fine Arts and Archeology Emeritus, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, now residing in Burnsville, NC.
See also
- Art theft and looting during World War IIArt theft and looting during World War IIArt theft and looting occurred on massive scale during World War II. It originated with the policies of the Axis countries, primarily Nazi Germany and Japan, which systematically looted occupied territories...
- Art repatriationArt repatriationArt repatriation is the return of art or cultural objects, usually referring to ancient or looted art, to their country of origin or former owners . The disputed cultural property items are physical artifacts of a group or society that were taken from another group usually in an act of looting,...
- Roberts CommissionRoberts CommissionTwo presidentially-appointed commissions have been described as "the Roberts Commission." One related to the circumstances of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and another related to the protection of cultural resources during and following World War II...
- Rescuing Da VinciRescuing Da VinciRescuing Da Vinci is a largely photographic, historical book written by American author Robert M. Edsel, published in 2006 by Laurel Publishing.- Summary :...
- The Rape of EuropaThe Rape of EuropaThe Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War is a book and a subsequent documentary film of somewhat related material. The book, by Lynn H. Nicholas, explores the Nazi plunder of looted art treasures from occupied countries, and the consequences...
- Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of ArtMonuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of ArtThe Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art is an American foundation, with the objective to preserve the legacy of people that served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program , during and after World War II....
Further reading
- Edsel, Robert M. (2009). Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. Preface Publishing. ISBN 9781848091016
External links
- National Archives – Roberts Commission Records (http://www.archives.gov/research/holocaust/finding-aid/civilian/rg-239.html)
- Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art – (http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org)
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Offenbach Archival Depot
- Finding the " Missing " Monument Men - Research by Nancy Cunningham (http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~nancygcunningham/MonumentMen/)
- American Association of Museums: Nazi era provenance
- PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(Oregon Public BroadcastingOregon Public BroadcastingOregon Public Broadcasting is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of Oregon as well as southern Washington. With its headquarters and television studios in Portland, OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF translators, and over...
): "The Rape of Europa.", 2006 film, aired November 24, 2008 - onuments Men in Italy (Facebook group) http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=395966210421