The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War Author: Lynn H. Nicholas | Language: English | ISBN:
B00317G7O2 | Format: PDF
The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War Description
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle AwardThe real story behind the major motion picture
The Monuments Men. The cast of characters includes Hitler and Goering, Gertrude Stein and Marc Chagall--not to mention works by artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Pablo Picasso. And the story told in this superbly researched and suspenseful book is that of the Third Reich's war on European culture and the Allies' desperate effort to preserve it.
From the Nazi purges of "Degenerate Art" and Goering's shopping sprees in occupied Paris to the perilous journey of the
Mona Lisa from Paris and the painstaking reclamation of the priceless treasures of liberated Italy,
The Rape of Europa is a sweeping narrative of greed, philistinism, and heroism that combines superlative scholarship with a compelling drama.
From the Trade Paperback edition.- File Size: 3728 KB
- Print Length: 512 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (December 22, 2009)
- Sold by: Random House LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00317G7O2
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,651 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #1
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Art > Art History > Regional > European - #2
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Art > Art History > Schools, Periods & Styles > Modern - #4
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Europe > Germany
- #1
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Art > Art History > Regional > European - #2
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Art > Art History > Schools, Periods & Styles > Modern - #4
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Europe > Germany
World War II was unique in so far as war can have different degrees of intensity, scope, or perhaps evil. The Germany of the Nazis was one with an insatiable appetite, whether for killing, inventing crimes so heinous new words were needed, or the absolute fervor with which they wanted everything. They literally wanted everything, whether changed to suit them, or in the case this book discusses, they wanted art, all of it. Their actions went well beyond the spoils of War that a victor generally has taken as his own, either from greed or an imagined sense of recompense for the battles fought. They wanted to change the demographics of the planet, had they succeeded, they would have managed the greatest art theft in History.
It may sound like a bizarre comparison, but the "Grinch" of Dr. Seuss fame came to mind while reading. The fictional character like his Nazi counterparts attempted to wipe out a culture by taking everything. The list of names of Artists includes every Master that ever painted, sculpted, drew, or any artisan who created a work of beauty. Nothing was overlooked; imagine having to return over 5,000 bells stolen from all over Europe. Yes, bells, as I said they took everything.
The book has some great photographs. There is a photo of one of the Goering residences and the Art he had stolen. It may sound bizarre but it looks like a bad yard sale. Any taste he had was in his mouth. It's quite a feat to amass priceless objects, and then display them in such a way and in such numbers, that the result is a garage sale. The picture also illustrates what the whole theft was about, the desire to have stuff, all the stuff you could steal.
The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War Preview
Link
Please Wait...