Rescuing Da Vinci
Encyclopedia
Rescuing Da Vinci is a largely photographic, historical book written by American author Robert M. Edsel
, published in 2006 by Laurel Publishing.
that is largely ignored in many history books – the Nazi looting
of Europe and Russia and the Allied
recovery and repatriation
of stolen art
. Little known to the general public, Hitler diverted his attention from the prosecution of the war to the systematic theft of Europe’s great art. His dream was to build the world’s greatest collection – The Führermuseum
– in his hometown of Linz
, Austria
. European museum officials took extraordinary measures to protect art from Hitler and the ensuing war. When U.S. forces prepared to enter Europe, they assembled a special force of largely American and British museum directors, curators, and art historians known as the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program
(MFAA) section, attached to the Allied armies. These “Monuments Men” attempted to minimize damage to European monuments and architecture, then track down stolen works of art. Their effort would become one of the greatest “treasure hunts” in history. In the end, Allied forces located more than 1,000 repositories in mines and castles across Europe, many of which were filled with art, sculpture, furniture, archives, and other cultural property stolen by the Nazis. Edsel points out that thousands of pieces are still missing, such as Raphael
’s Portrait of a Young Man
from the Czartoryski Museum
in Cracow, Poland.
Rescuing Da Vinci tells this story through brief text and more than 460 photographs, 60 of which are in color. This group of photographs has never been published in a single book, and many have not been seen in decades. Images such as Michelangelo
’s David
entombed in brick for protection or a Rembrandt Self Portrait sitting atop crates in a salt mine, capture the story better than words could describe.
(a scholarly book on the same subject), and Dr. Edmund Pillsbury, former director of the Kimbell Art Museum
in Fort Worth, Texas
.
Nine chapters document the story from Hitler’s artistic ideals and his premeditated theft of Europe to the formation of the MFAA and their recovery and restitution of thousands of works of art and other cultural properties. Edsel closes the book with a chapter on the destroyed and lost monuments and works of art that are the continued legacy of Hitler’s destruction.
Each chapter begins with several pages of text, followed by dozens of photographs with detailed captions. Also included are maps that mark the location of the Mona Lisa
at all stages during the war, the location of all fourteen known Da Vinci paintings, and the locations of major Nazi repositories in Germany and Austria.
, have made headlines. Rescuing Da Vinci shows the beginning stages of this restitution work, performed by the MFAA 60 years ago. Edsel argues that many more cases such as Altmann’s will surface in the coming years.
)
, released in November 2007.
Robert M. Edsel
Robert M. Edsel is an American writer and businessman. He is the author of the non-fiction books, Rescuing Da Vinci and about art treasures preserved during and after World War II and the heroes who saved them...
, published in 2006 by Laurel Publishing.
Summary
This book focuses on an aspect of World War IIWorld 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...
that is largely ignored in many history books – the Nazi looting
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...
of Europe and Russia and the Allied
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...
recovery and repatriation
Art repatriation
Art 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,...
of stolen art
Art theft
Art theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...
. Little known to the general public, Hitler diverted his attention from the prosecution of the war to the systematic theft of Europe’s great art. His dream was to build the world’s greatest collection – The 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 his hometown of 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
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...
. European museum officials took extraordinary measures to protect art from Hitler and the ensuing war. When U.S. forces prepared to enter Europe, they assembled a special force of largely American and British museum directors, curators, and art historians known as the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program
Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program
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...
(MFAA) section, attached to the Allied armies. These “Monuments Men” attempted to minimize damage to European monuments and architecture, then track down stolen works of art. Their effort would become one of the greatest “treasure hunts” in history. In the end, Allied forces located more than 1,000 repositories in mines and castles across Europe, many of which were filled with art, sculpture, furniture, archives, and other cultural property stolen by the Nazis. Edsel points out that thousands of pieces are still missing, such as Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
’s Portrait of a Young Man
Portrait of a Young Man (Raphael, formerly Kraków)
Portrait of a Young Man is a painting in oil on panel, probably from 1513–1514, by the Italian High Renaissance Old Master painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino better known simply as Raphael. The painting was stolen by the Nazis in Poland. Since then, its whereabouts have been unknown...
from the Czartoryski Museum
Czartoryski Museum
The Czartoryski Museum and Library is a museum located in Kraków, Poland, founded in Puławy in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska. The Puławy collections were partly destroyed after the November uprising of 1830–1831 and the subsequent confiscation of the Czartoryskis' property by the Russians...
in Cracow, Poland.
Rescuing Da Vinci tells this story through brief text and more than 460 photographs, 60 of which are in color. This group of photographs has never been published in a single book, and many have not been seen in decades. Images 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 David
David (Michelangelo)
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence...
entombed in brick for protection or a Rembrandt Self Portrait sitting atop crates in a salt mine, capture the story better than words could describe.
Organization
Forewords to Rescuing Da Vinci were written by Lynn Nicholas, author of The Rape of EuropaThe Rape of Europa
The 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...
(a scholarly book on the same subject), and Dr. Edmund Pillsbury, former director of the Kimbell Art Museum
Kimbell Art Museum
The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts a small but excellent art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, who also provided funds for a new...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
Nine chapters document the story from Hitler’s artistic ideals and his premeditated theft of Europe to the formation of the MFAA and their recovery and restitution of thousands of works of art and other cultural properties. Edsel closes the book with a chapter on the destroyed and lost monuments and works of art that are the continued legacy of Hitler’s destruction.
Each chapter begins with several pages of text, followed by dozens of photographs with detailed captions. Also included are maps that mark the location of the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
at all stages during the war, the location of all fourteen known Da Vinci paintings, and the locations of major Nazi repositories in Germany and Austria.
Nazi Destruction
While art theft is not commonly associated with the Nazi reign, and perhaps thought by some to be insignificant in comparison to the number of lives lost during World War II at the hands of Hitler, Edsel points out that it was another premeditated and destructive plan of the Nazis. By labeling contemporary artists and their work as “degenerate,” Hitler sought to rid Europe of this undesirable artwork. Hundreds of paintings were removed from museums, many destroyed by symbolic burnings. Catalogues reprinted in Rescuing Da Vinci list works of art in other countries which Hitler desired for his own museum, and that he was determined to obtain, by whatever means necessary. Edsel points out that the cultural loss inflicted by Nazi plundering cannot be ignored in discussing Nazi destruction.Jewish Holocaust
This book also reveals often-ignored aspects of the Nazi plan to rid Europe of its Jewish population. Photographs showing warehouses of furniture and household items from pianos to children’s toys, all of which had been looted from Jewish families, poignantly demonstrate the extent of the Holocaust in an inoffensive manner. Museums and mines full of stolen paintings show the work of the ERR, the organization which “legalized” the seizure of Jewish collections and property in France.Restitution
The effects of Nazi looting are still being felt today. Many victims and their families are just now having stolen paintings returned to them, and many of these cases, such as that of Maria AltmannMaria Altmann
Maria Altmann was a Jewish refugee from Nazi Austria, noted for her ultimately successful legal campaign to reclaim five family-owned paintings by the artist Gustav Klimt, stolen by the Nazis during World War II, from the Government of Austria.She was born Maria Victoria Bloch, in Vienna...
, have made headlines. Rescuing Da Vinci shows the beginning stages of this restitution work, performed by the MFAA 60 years ago. Edsel argues that many more cases such as Altmann’s will surface in the coming years.
Americanism
Rescuing Da Vinci points out the strengths and indisputable good deeds of the U.S. military, published at a time when the armed forces are often criticized. It also demonstrates the appreciation of foreign governments for the United States’ actions. However, some argue that it relies too heavily on the impact of the American involvement. “Although Rescuing Da Vinci mentions Allied officers throughout Europe, the focus is primarily on Americans and could benefit from greater mention of European contributions.” (Shauna Isaac, The Art NewspaperThe Art Newspaper
The Art Newspaper is a monthly newspaper about the visual arts based in London.It is published in a newspaper, rather than a magazine, format...
)
Research
Edsel spent years researching the subject before writing Rescuing Da Vinci. He utilized researchers in more than a dozen countries to search foreign archives for photographs, as well as performed extensive research at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. He and his team continue to research MFAA personnel in order to develop biographies on all and honor their achievements.Critical Acclaim
Film
A film, co-produced by Edsel and Actual Films, entitled The Rape of EuropaThe Rape of Europa
The 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...
, released in November 2007.
External links
- Rescuing Da Vinci Official Website (www.RescuingDaVinci.com)
- Author’s blog (www.RobertEdselBlog.com)
- Finding the " Missing " Monument Men - Research by Nancy Cunningham (http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~nancygcunningham/MonumentMen/)