The Spoils of War

Historian Gerard Frederick recently researched the controversy of ‘Nazi-looted art’. His investigation started on the premise that every museum and art gallery, public and private depository keeps an inventory of their collections. The records, origins, and ownership of each work of art on display, in storage or undergoing restoration are diligently recorded.

It is a simple matter to trace and recover removed artefacts following the end of any conflict. This is more difficult when it falls into private hands but such art is worthless if removed from the free market.

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In respect of the German occupation of a score or more European countries, there is no credible evidence to support the charge that the German occupiers looted artworks. Reports that they did so are invariably ambiguous, lack detail and never specify credible records of ownership.

Gerard Frederick says, “I decided to write to various museums in regard to Nazi plunder.”

Having previously researched his interest the cynical researcher thought it prudent to pose as a neutral academic. For this reason, he resorted to conventional pen and paper rather than by traceable email.

The Hermitage Museums of St. Petersburg are responsible not only for their own collections but are charged with an inventory interest in all Russian art. Germany, for a considerable period, occupied much of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. If there was German looting then the Soviets and later on the Russians would be sure to know about it.

One would presume that a synopsis at least, an overview, would have given the scholar what he required. The internationally acclaimed Hermitage Museum did not reply; nor did any of the Dutch museums he contacted. The Netherlands were under German occupation for five years. There is again no credible evidence that any artworks were removed from the country’s many fine collections.

The British Museum was disdainful, unwilling or unable to provide the researcher with a modicum of evidence that would stand up even in a magistrate’s court. The Tate Modern was polite but regretted their not having any information.

How can it possibly be that internationally acclaimed art galleries and museums have no information on treasures allegedly plundered by the Reich?

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Unlike the Allies, there is no evidence that the higher German political and military echelon had any interest in private collections. Herman Goering, President of the Reichstag, did so. However, every item he owned was legitimate, a status that ended only when his possessions were plundered by the Allies.

During the war, every German museum would have benefited from looting but chose the ‘no comment’ response. Any local tradesman provides a flyer that concisely sets out his services. Yet, the world’s greatest museums have nothing similar to identify stolen art?

German museums, art galleries, and legitimate private art collectors would be expected to be well-informed on the subject of allegedly looted artworks. Each contacted was unwilling or unable to show evidence of illicit acquired art. Ironically, all German museums are able to provide ample evidence of art plundered from their collections by the Allies.

In his quest for information, the researcher contacted American museums of which only two responded to his enquiry. The Los Angeles Museum sent ‘some trash that simply wasn’t credible.’ The Norton Simon Museum situated in Pasadena was ‘less than helpful’.

The acclaimed Musée du Louvre, probably the world’s best-known museum and art museum, wrote to say “that their artworks had remained untouched during the German Occupation”.

The Louvre, evacuated before German invasion in 1939

Hitler’s Germany occupied northern France; territory that included Paris and cities home to some of the world’s greatest art collections. Had they wished to do so, Germany had five years to loot art from the public and privately owned art collections of France. Yet, during this lengthy period, tens of thousands of precious artefacts and works of art remained untouched.

One can only speculate as to why the German occupiers would leave safe and sound French owned artworks but avail themselves of Dutch, Belgian, Danish or Norwegian and Russian works of art. None can provide evidence of such being removed.

The Polish Second Corps following the road from Cassino to Rome, uncovered statues of the Madonna and Child in a chapel of a church in Piedimonte. Although the church was in ruins, the Madonna and Child emerged relatively unscathed. May 1944.

It is true that Germany and Poland today negotiate the barter of artworks that changed hands during the war. Germany’s Polish neighbours are a special case. In defiance of the notoriously one-sided Versailles Treaty, Poland, by 1922, illegally occupied much of defeated Germany.

When in September 1939 the Reich recovered territories illegally occupied by the Poles they presumably recovered works of art which were arguably German possessions. If it were otherwise there would be nothing to negotiate. Case closed; the Allies looted, the Reich did not.

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Men loading a truck with a shipment of art at Munich Central Collecting Point, 1945

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