Lafayette hosts conference on Nazi-looted art three-day, six-event conference explored multiple aspects of the field of art following World War II and the Holocaust—the genocide and thievery of not only 11 million lives, but also of countless paintings and other works of art. The conference took place October 26 to October 28.
Part 1- Nazi Art in the 21st Century
By Ryan McCormick
Having dedicated his studies and career to the field of plundered Nazi art and the struggle that still persists for these pieces to be brought back to their rightful owners, Professor of European History at Claremont McKenna College Jonathan Pertropoulos is a leading authority on the topic. On October 27, he spoke at Lafayette in a lecture entitled “Nazi Art in the 21st Century.”
Pertropoulous’ lecture showed just how much we continue to be affected by World War II and the horrors of the Nazi reign in Germany. Through his lecture, he confirmed what we already knew: that World War II and its consequences were more than just a war; they were and continue to be a test of the human spirit. Pertropoulos’ study of the field dates back to his graduate school experience at Harvard University. There, Pertropoulos began to study the Nazi generals’ unusual interest in art. Their collections tended to be massive; each individual compilation could be worth millions of dollars. Hitler favored eastern European baroque works and had a collection of over 8,000 pieces—a large amount for one individual.
Pertropoulos was able to study hands on the patterns of the art looted by Hitler’s inner circle. He noticed that they tended to have similar artistic interests to their leader, creating a sort of odd unity amongst them. He theorized that looting art served as a way to further demoralize their victims. According to Pertropoulos, taking peoples’ art was like stealing a piece of their identities, and served to continue victims’ dehumanization.
Pertropoulos dedicated himself to tracking down still-missing artwork and returning the pieces to their rightful owners. The result of this search has led him across Europe, tracking clues and interviewing anyone who could possibly help his cause.
Going so far as meeting with former Nazi officers and their former mistresses, Pertropoulos has stopped at nothing to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, legal technicalities prevented many works from being brought back to their places of origin.
In the lecture, Pertropoulos noted that while steps were made to bring works back to their homes, there is still an overwhelming amount of work to be done.
“This has been my life’s work, and it will be my son’s life work, and after him, his son’s as well,” he said.
His knowledge and insight on the topic made for an informative lecture, well appreciated by his audience.
According to Rose Bayer ’14, “while it is extremely sad that some of these works have yet to be returned to their rightful owners, it is clear that there are many success stories. Hopefully we will continue to see more of that success.”
Part 2- Late Justice: Austria deals with Nazi-Looted Art
By Apratim Mukherjee
In 1997, the Austrian government received a letter drawing attention to the fact that both public museums and private collections all over Austria were in possession of a significant amount of Nazi-looted art. These items were under scrutiny not only because they were plundered, but also because they were never returned to their original owners after the end of the Holocaust.
“Austria was the one country which had most difficulties returning Nazi-looted art, especially to individual Jewish families,” said Lafayette’s Professor of International Affairs Rado Pribic. In a lecture on October 28, Pribic and Head of the Department for International Law at the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs Max Kade and Minister plenipotentiary Gregor Schusterschitz presented a lecture at Lafayette about the Austrian governments’ efforts to deal with the issue.
Shocked by the lack of documentation of Nazi-looted art, Schusterschitz encouraged the government to initiate further programs to return the art to their places of origin. Later the same year, the painting “Portrait of Wally,” by Egon Schiele, made national headlines when it was returned to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. The return strengthened the resolve of the Austrian government to ensure that as much of the Nazi-looted pieces of artwork still in Austria be returned to their origins.
Schusterschitz continued his research and found unsophisticated record-keeping systems in the early to mid 1900′s caused by a number of fraudulent claims of ownership. By the 1960s, there were almost 8,000 pieces of unclaimed artwork in Austria. In 1969 the Austrian government allowed the general public to file petitions to reclaim lost paintings, heavily advertised in newspapers and embassies around the globe. Despite the government’s best efforts, only about 150 of these 8,000 paintings were returned to their proper owners.
“Every looted object, whether a renowned work of art or a family photograph or piece of furniture, carries the weight of its history of ownership,” said Professor of Art History Diane Ahl.
By the end of the 1980′s, Austrian officials decided that the unclaimed art would be auctioned, with proceeds donated to the National Fund Team which assisted Holocaust victims and their families.
In 1998 a committee was founded in which all paintings within the Austrian border would be categorized to help determine where they came from and how they entered Austria.
Pribic put the issue in perspective. “The issue of looted art is globally and historically very pertinent,” he said. “Most countries have “looted art” in their museums and in private collections, like the British Museum, and even the U.S. involvement in Iraq raises questions about some of the sensitivities and treatment of art objects.”
Article source: http://www.thelaf.com/a-e/lafayette-hosts-conference-on-nazi-looted-art-1.2683682
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