The Monuments Men (and Women)
Dear all
It’s Art and German Enrichment week and Monday’s assembly reading took us back to the efforts made amidst the final months of World War Two.
As Nazi forces advanced across Europe at the start of World War Two, Adolf Hitler established a group that was tasked with stealing pieces of valuable – and sometimes priceless – works of art. By the time the allies had reached Germany following the invasion of Normandy in 1944, around 100,000 pieces remained unaccounted for, many hidden in locations throughout Austria and Germany.
In response, President Franklin Roosevelt initiated the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives programme in 1943, whose objective was to recover and safeguard cultural treasures from the ravages of war and return stolen artworks to their rightful owners. Those who worked as part of this project were known as The Monuments Men, a group of 345 men and women from 13 countries who had previously worked as museum directors, curators, art historians, and artists. General Eisenhower – the Commander of Allied Forces – issued orders that the Monuments Men should be helped by regular soldiers whenever and wherever possible.
Their mission was clear but incredibly challenging and included the task of saving works by some of the most famous artists and sculptors of all time, many of them often hidden in remote castles, salt mines, and other abandoned buildings. Their work was also dangerous – often in war zones, sometimes under fire, they had to try and outsmart the Nazis who had hidden these priceless treasures with a view to keeping them after the war had ended.
Their work was tremendously successful and it’s estimated that they recovered over 5 million pieces of art, many stolen, many hidden so they wouldn’t fall into the hands of the Nazis, and some rescued from German or even allied bombing just in time. The list of works saved, recovered or protected by the Monuments Men include the Mona Lisa, the original manuscript of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper and Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges, as well as Jan van Eyck’s ‘Ghent Altarpiece’.
If it had not been for their work, many of the world’s most famous and impressive pieces of art would have been lost, and their story is another illustration of how World War Two really was a fight for the survival of our history, heritage and freedom.
The story of the Monuments Men – and Women, of course – was retold in a book of the same title by Robert Edsel, which was then turned into a Hollywood film starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon, among many other well known actors. It’s well worth watching if you’re interested in the story, and you can read more here about some of the artworks that were saved, with photos of the different places in which they were found.
Have a great weekend
Best wishes
Michael Bond
