The Berlin Masterpieces in America

Tells the fascinating story of how, and why, 202 of the world’s most iconic artworks toured the USA after World War II. This new volume tells the story of some of the paintings rescued by the the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) organisation, the so-called “Monuments Men.” In December 1945, 202 paintings, found in German salt mines 2,100 feet underground, where they had been hidden to escape the allied bombing of Berlin, were brought to the United States “for safe keeping” by the Department of the Army. They were exhibited in 1948 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, before some of them were sent on a whistle-stop tour of 13 US cities, despite furious opposition from museum directors, Gallery staff, the public, government officials, and a resolution from 98 leading art authorities demanding the immediate return of the works to Germany. All the paintings, examples of Flemish, Dutch, German, French, English, and Italian Schools, were from museums in Berlin, and had been found in April 1945, along with 100 tons of Reichsbank gold, by the special team of art historians and experts, seconded in the US army, and charged with locating and restituting works of art looted by the Nazis. This book is the first to consider the paintings themselves; it features 22 artworks that were in the original NGA exhibition, including four paintings on loan from Berlin, augmented by others from Cincinnati Art Museum, National Gallery of Art, Washington, The Getty Museum, Miami University (Oxford, OH), and the Taft Museum. AUTHORS: Peter J. Bell is associate curator of European Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Kristi A. Nelson, PhD, is executive vice president for Academic Affairs and professor emeritus, University of Cincinnati. Neville Rowley is curator, Early Italian Art, Gemäldegalerie and Bode-Museum, Berlin. 311 colour illustrations

Author Biography

Peter Jonathan Bell, PhD, is curator of European Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Kristi A. Nelson, PhD, is executive vice president for Academic Affairs and professor emeritus, University of Cincinnati. Tanja Bernsau, PhD, is an art historian with a special interest in provenance research and the protection of cultural heritage. Kathryn Griffith is Kreiss Interpretive Fellow at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Neville Rowley, PhD, is curator, Early Italian Art, Gemäldegalerie and Bode-Museum, Berlin. Nancy Yeide was head of the Department of Curatorial Records at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, from 1990-2017. She is a specialist in World War Two-era provenance research.