The plunder of cultural treasures, particularly paintings, during the Third Reich was unprecedented in history. Adolf Hitler, of course, is considered to have been the main culprit. The Fuhrer’s will quoted by Infield (1974 p.130) says:
The paintings in the collections I bought over the years were never acquired for private purposes, but always exclusively for the establishment of an art gallery in my native town of Linz.
But evidence does not support the claim by Hitler that all the art pieces in his collection were purchased.
The Nazis believed that the arts, especially music, were an expression of the nation’s soul, character, aspirations and ideals. The problem, however, was that non-Aryans were to have no part in it. Anything precious in their possession was to be seized. The Third Reich’s sanitizing of the cultural field was achieved through what was called ‘synchronization of culture’ led by Joseph Gobbles, the Nazi Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda.
The Nazi Cultural Revolution caused immense damage in the field of art and artifacts among others. The Third Reich considered modern art and impressionist paintings degenerative. Many of them were consigned to flames. But contrary to Hitler’s assertion in his will that his art collection was bought, great paintings were confiscated ‘in national interest’ and a number of them were sold to enrich the coffers of the Nazi Party and its leaders.
However, the blame for the looting of art and artifacts during 1930s and 1940s does not rest with the Nazis alone. A French Government panel has estimated that the Jews of France suffered a combined loss of over $1.2 billion due to exploitation by the Vichy regime (TIME Europe, 2000). The victorious Allied and Soviet armies also plundered innumerable works of art, books and archives (Akinsha, 1995, Alford, 1994). Years after the war, the Dutch finance ministry sold to its staff items stolen from Amsterdam Jews at heavily discounted prices. Archival evidence indicates that the Swiss government and banks assisted in selling the treasures commandeered by the Nazis.
The United States took no action on reports by the Strategic Services expressing concern about the unmonitored shipping of valuables to the country from Europe. Effective government intervention at that point of time could have prevented some of the unsavory developments that followed.
Today, huge amounts are being spent on tracing the treasures worth billions of dollars ransacked during the Nazi era and for the ensuing litigation. Lawyers make millions in the process. In fact, this has developed into a major growth area in international legal practice. Interpol records indicate that the black market in art items is the fourth biggest international criminal activity. FBI estimates that the market volume at 5 billion dollars.
In the year 2000, Russia passed a legislation permitting its government to retain the valuables looted during the Second World War. But in Germany and other Western countries, there is an emerging realization that the plundered treasures should be returned to the rightful owners. Many museums have published lists of artwork of doubtful provenance. The German government has opened a website (http://www.lostart.de/) that provides database for such articles to assist search by claimants.
It would appear, though, that this noble endeavor has come too late for many who lost heavily in the pillage during the Nazi era.
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Bibliography.
Akinsha, Konstantin, et al. Beautiful Loot: The Soviet Plunder of Europe's Art Treasures. (1995.) New York: Random House. (N 8795.3. G3 A39 1995)
Alford, Kenneth D. The Spoils of World War II: The American Military's Role in the Stealing of Europe's Treasures. (1994.) New York: Carol Publishing Group. (D 810 A7. A37 1994)
Infield, Glenn B. The Private Lives of Eva and Adolf. (1974.) Grosset and Dunlap, New York, p 130
Labi, Aisha, Plunder and Provenance, TIME EUROPE, May 15, 2000, Vol.155, No.19. Available from: www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/0515/naziart.html
[Accessed on 27 July, 2006.]
Traynor, Ian. Precious Plunder. Available from: www.centropa.org/reports.asp?rep=&ID=6863&TypeID=0 [Accessed on 27 July, 2006.]
Ends.
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