A cast of big-name Hollywood stars has brought to the silver screen a story of true life heroism and sacrifice based on the Monuments Men book. This tale is about men and women who left their private lives behind to join the Army with one aim, to help preserve Europe's important buildings from aerial bombing. Although they began with a mission to save monuments, they soon realized that there were millions of art treasures in Nazi hands.
Robert Edsel wrote the best-seller book and a sequel, Saving Italy. He has also produced a documentary and founded a non-profit organization to continue the effort to find stolen art and return it to its rightful owners. He hopes to educate the public and raise awareness of the fact that many valuable items are still unaccounted for.
The book is the story of a group of art historians, museum curators, architects, and soldiers who made up a force sanctioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Well-known actors represent the World War I veteran, the ballet director, the art conservation expert, and the other scholars who left their families and risked the dangers of combat to preserve western culture.
The mission soon expanded to cover paintings, sculpture, and other art as well. Two of the unit were killed in action, but the group succeeded in recovering over five million valuable objects from Nazi collections or supporters. The group was formed in 1943 and continued its efforts for eight years.
Millions of art treasures are still missing, as shown by the recent discovery of over 1,400 of them in a Munich apartment. The hoarder inherited them from his father, an art dealer who was given 'degenerate' pieces to dispose of by the Nazis. The man claims they are rightfully his, and legalities may drag on for years.
Robert Edsel himself spotted two listed paintings in a Dallas museum. They did turn out to be the paintings cataloged by the Nazis as objects taken from the Rothschild family. The documentation on the paintings is missing, however; they may have been returned to their rightful owner and later sold legally.
Edsel's Monuments Men Foundation continues to reach out to the public in this restoration effort. Many servicemen brought home souvenirs from Europe, and among these may be some of the missing objects. Recently a veteran returned two books, both over 400 years old, to the Foundation. Hopefully others with World War II souvenirs in their attics will check out the list of missing objects to see if they might have one or more in their home.
The book, like the movie, tells the true story of brave men and women who risked their lives to save cultural treasure and history. The movie does also, but without the depth of detail and truth found in the book. To learn more, read this historic account and visit the website of Edsel's foundation. Maybe you can help locate the missing Van Gogh and Raphael.
Robert Edsel wrote the best-seller book and a sequel, Saving Italy. He has also produced a documentary and founded a non-profit organization to continue the effort to find stolen art and return it to its rightful owners. He hopes to educate the public and raise awareness of the fact that many valuable items are still unaccounted for.
The book is the story of a group of art historians, museum curators, architects, and soldiers who made up a force sanctioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Well-known actors represent the World War I veteran, the ballet director, the art conservation expert, and the other scholars who left their families and risked the dangers of combat to preserve western culture.
The mission soon expanded to cover paintings, sculpture, and other art as well. Two of the unit were killed in action, but the group succeeded in recovering over five million valuable objects from Nazi collections or supporters. The group was formed in 1943 and continued its efforts for eight years.
Millions of art treasures are still missing, as shown by the recent discovery of over 1,400 of them in a Munich apartment. The hoarder inherited them from his father, an art dealer who was given 'degenerate' pieces to dispose of by the Nazis. The man claims they are rightfully his, and legalities may drag on for years.
Robert Edsel himself spotted two listed paintings in a Dallas museum. They did turn out to be the paintings cataloged by the Nazis as objects taken from the Rothschild family. The documentation on the paintings is missing, however; they may have been returned to their rightful owner and later sold legally.
Edsel's Monuments Men Foundation continues to reach out to the public in this restoration effort. Many servicemen brought home souvenirs from Europe, and among these may be some of the missing objects. Recently a veteran returned two books, both over 400 years old, to the Foundation. Hopefully others with World War II souvenirs in their attics will check out the list of missing objects to see if they might have one or more in their home.
The book, like the movie, tells the true story of brave men and women who risked their lives to save cultural treasure and history. The movie does also, but without the depth of detail and truth found in the book. To learn more, read this historic account and visit the website of Edsel's foundation. Maybe you can help locate the missing Van Gogh and Raphael.
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