Being a museum studies graduate student, of course I had to go see the new movie The Monuments Men. The movie is an interesting historical drama, though not an action movie, like the previews would have you think. While the movie is well worth the watch, they did take a number of liberties with the actual story. Here's the story of the true Monuments Men and the many people who supported them.
From the beginning of WWII, the American Council of Learned Societies and the Harvard Group called for the US military to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of Europe. Hitler was systematically looting art from the great museums and collectors of Europe in preparation to stock his own personal museum and the US army destroyed important buildings while invading Europe. However, it wasn't until 1943 that the efforts of these groups finally bore fruit.
The Monuments Men started with a group called whose official name was the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, but was more commonly referred to as the Roberts Commission, after its chairman, Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts. Proposed by Francis Henry Taylor, the director of the Museum of Modern Art, the group was created in 1943 to advise military actions in order to best protect and preserve national treasures during World War II, provided they did not interfere with military operations. They created the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section, for which 345 men and women volunteered, coming from the United States, Britain, France, Austria, and Belgium.
These men and women were primarily middle-aged; some were even WWI veterans. They were professors, museum curators, archivists, and librarians. Together, they saved an estimated 5 million art pieces and cultural objects.
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| Some of the Monuments Men at the Altuasee Salt Mine in 1945. (Wikimedia) |
These artworks included numerous masters, such as the Ghent Altarpiece and Michaelangelo's Madonna, both featured in the movie.
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| The Monuments Men recovering the Ghent Altarpiece at Altusee. (Wikimedia) |
After the war, a smaller contingent of Monuments Men continued to hunt down stolen art. Many of the members of the MFAA returned or went on to prominent jobs in cultural institutions. They are responsible for the foundation of the New York City Ballet, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Despite their incredible efforts, a number of other artworks remain missing. And, due to Hitler's "Nero Decree," stating that all evidence that could be used in a war crimes trial be destroyed, many may never be recovered.
The story of the Monuments Men was rediscovered in 1995 and in 2009, Robert Edsel wrote his book The Monuments Men and started the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. He and the foundation aim to acknowledge the work of these incredible men and women, continue their quest to return stolen artworks, and attempt to return the preservation of cultural heritage to the consciousness of the American military.
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| President George W. Bush presents the 2007 National Humanities Medal for the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art to, from left, Robert Edsel and World War II veterans Jim Reeds, Harry Ettlinger, Horace Apgar and Seymore Pomrenze. (Wikimedia) |
In 2007, the Monuments Men Foundation was awarded the National Humanities Award by President George W. Bush. You can go to their website to learn more about the Monuments Men and assist in the effort to recover and repatriate stolen goods.
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