Publicity about the movie “Monuments Men” is responsible for helping to return five paintings to collections in Germany. Americans currently holding the artwork decided to return the paintings “missing” since World War II.
An American soldier won three of the paintings in a poker game. The paintings are by Flemish, German, and Austrian painters. Another painting of Queen Victoria and her daughter and one of Charles I were bought by an American woman working as a librarian after the war.
The Nazis confiscated the artwork from Jewish owners and stored the paintings in abandoned mines and castles during the fighting. Hundreds of thousands of cultural items were taken out of Germany following the war. The film “Monuments Men” memorializes the museum curators, artists, and educators who worked to prevent the destruction of historic treasures during World War II.
Heirs of the soldier and the librarian contacted the Monuments Men Foundation about returning the items last year after seeing the film.
