Publisher's Weekly Review
Based on a much-discussed 1995 international symposium at the Bard Graduate Center in New York, this book unites an impressive variety of valuable testimonies about the problemshistorical, artistic and legalposed by the looting of artwork during WWII and the restitution of these objects. The subject is very much a work in progress, since although some major treasures like the Quedlinburg medieval art booty, stolen by an American GI, was sold back to Germany by his heirs, a vast trove of artwork looted by the Soviets after the war and exposed in a 1991 ArtNews feature are as far as ever from being sent back to their owners, despite hints and even pleas to the Russians in essays in this book. A touching perspective is given by surviving members of the U.S. Army's Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section, now octogenarians, about their fascinating work, accomplished immediately after the war, sorting out Europe's lost, stolen and strayed art treasures and the unexpected fun had by doing so. Tragedy is brought into the picture by the large numbers of works still lost or presumed destroyed, including masterpieces by Raphael and El Greco and an exquisite 12th-century cross called "the most important national relic of Belarus." This is an extremely timely and well-organized book of urgent interest to every art lover. 123 illustrations, 25 in color. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
The ever-rapacious Nazis looted staggering quantities of great art and antiques from the nations they occupied. Much of it found its way back to Germany, and following the Allied victory, many thousands of rare (and some priceless) pieces were identified, and returned to the countries from which they had been taken. But not all of the paintings, statues, and archaeological treasures were recovered: Some were taken by Soviet troops and disappeared into Russia. Still others slipped into the black market in western Europe, and were snapped up by wealthy (if unprincipled) collectors. A 1995 symposium at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts brought together European and American investigators and historians to discuss both the the Nazi thefts and the current state of knowledge of the whereabouts of the many still missing treasures. Those papers are reprinted here. While the pieces are detailed, dry, and likely to be of most interest to specialists, there are some extraordinary stories, most prominently the description of the recent rediscovery of ""Priam's treasure,"" excavated by Schliemann at Troy and hidden since WW II in a Russian museum. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The Nazi reign of terror is a bottomless pit of horrors from which new and disturbing facts continue to surface. Bower, a zealous Nazi researcher and prolific author, reveals the truth about Switzerland's institutionalized greed and clandestine financial collaboration with the Nazis. Jews hoping to escape the Nazi scourge, or, at least, to provide for their children's future, deposited funds in Switzerland's famously secure banks, but when family members attempted to collect their rightful inheritances, they were met with cold-blooded bureaucratic obfuscation, not to mention anti-Semitism. Many have tried over the years to crack Switzerland's smug strategy of deceit regarding these "heirless assets," but to no avail, until Edgar Bronfman, of the World Jewish Congress, and U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato teamed up and captured the all-important attention of the international media. Switzerland still hasn't come clean, but Bower's fast-paced exposeshould help move things along. More than 50 art experts from the U.S. and Europe, including Lynn Nicholas, author of the groundbreaking The Rape of Europa (1994), came together to discuss the extraordinary looting of cultural treasures during and after World War II. The papers they presented--riveting accounts of the Nazis' systematic pillaging of entire library and museum collections, fine and decorative arts, religious objects, musical instruments, and archaeological artifacts--form the core of this unique and invaluable volume, which also includes photographs of lost, disputed, or reclaimed artworks and a number of key legal texts relating to the repatriation of cultural property. At the heart of each essay is the question: Why does the fate of art objects, mere "things," matter within the horrific context of genocide and war? The answer: because the loss of personal property as well as art treasures are genuine losses of community, culture, and spirit. The restitution of such objects is, therefore, an act of redemption, a mission this fine book will help achieve. --Donna Seaman
