Monuments Men

The monuments men : Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history.
Edsel, Robert M. New York, N.Y. : Center Street, 2009.

I had never heard of these people (almost every single one a man), nor of their work. Nor of this book. I do remember seeing commercials about the film. A couple of weeks ago a Peninsula Library patron highly recommended I read the book, so I took it out.

It started weak, but immediately got good and strong. A team of art experts was charged with saving the art treasures of Europe that Nazis had stolen. How they went about it is little short of miraculous. Well written book, fast paced, yet a disappointing last chapter fizzles. Nonetheless, a wonderful book.

This is a sample of the writing style, which I enjoyed greatly, and of the people:

“George Stout, who had taught Kirstein at Harvard during his graduate years, was aware of the brilliance of the new private. He was also, probably aware of his shortcomings: his easy frustration, his mood swings, and his distaste for army life. Whether by accident or design — and knowing Stout it was almost surely by design — Kirstein was assigned the perfect  partner: Monuments Man Robert Posey of George Patton’s Third Army.

    If ever there was an odd couple, it was Posey and Kirstein: a quiet, blue-collar Alabama architect and a manic-depressive, married yet homosexual, Jewish New York bon vivant. Posey was steady, while Kirstein was emotional. Posey was a planner, Kirstein impulsive. Posey was disciplined, his partner outspoken. Posey was thoughtful, but Kirstein was insightful, often brilliantly so. While Posey only requested Hershey’s bars from home, Kirstein care packages included smoked cheeses, artichokes, salmon, and copies of the New Yorker.

    Together, the two men could go a lot further in the army than either could go alone.” (225)

Kirstein was a surprise; well, so were the others. These men did great things, and they are unknown. Alas, the film seems to be a sanitized, prettified version. But, such is Hollywood.

The extent of Nazi looting was staggering. No just paintings and sculptures (and, in fairness, it is pointed out that half of the French museums holdings were plunder from Napoleon's military campaigns). They stole church bells, too. Personal belongings, and not just of Rothschilds. Not content to have stolen in victory, they planned to destroy in defeat. Thanks in great part to the Monuments Men, such crimes were not added to the heinous toll.