Our nation’s extraordinary gallery of works of art is blessed in so many ways. The most recently built of the world’s great national museums, it contains an encyclopedic collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and many other cultural items. But many people do not know it also serves as the custodian for important select documents which it has received through gift or bequest over the years. The documents of greatest interest to me are of course the papers of some of the Monuments Men and women, many of whom worked at the National Gallery during some part of their career. In fact, the National Gallery and its staff served as the headquarters for the early work which led to the Roberts Commission from which emanated the Monuments Men.

I was at the research facility for almost a week recently conducting research for my next book on the Monuments Men. The research area is wonderful to work in and incredibly well organized. Headed by a team of experts in document preservation — Maygene Daniels, Anne Ritchie, Michele Willens and Jean Henry, our work was greatly aided by their thorough preparation for our visit. As taxpayers, we have a lot of benefits for the money we pay that may not be obvious when writing that check to the Internal Revenue Service. Use of our National Gallery and the admission price — IT’S FREE — are but one great example.

While there I was comfortably ensconced in a beautiful wooden chair. Only on the fourth day did I actually stop for a moment to examine it. Wouldn’t you know: it, too, was gift of the Mellon family in 1999. Their benevolence and generosity to our nation is truly immeasurable. Paul Mellon’s father, Andrew Mellon, not only developed the idea for a national museum, he also donated the funds ($10 million in the 1930’s!!!) needed to build it. There was more: he donated his incomparable collection to the nation which now graces the building’s beautiful rooms. Realizing the critical needs at that formative stage, Andrew used his contacts and influence to encourage the nation’s other great collectors — Sam Kress, Joseph Widener, and Chester Dale — to donate their collections to the nation too.

I was hardly surprised then when I saw the plaque nearby that told me about these great chairs…and what an appropriate part of history they play in this great institution.

Thanks to the open generosity of the National Gallery Archives team with our work.

Relations between Russia and Germany have been extremely challenged in the arena of cultural restitution of looted works of art during World War II.  This is a highly emotionally charged subject that often inspires considerable rhetoric from nationalists in Russia who cite the obvious for why Russia shouldn’t return any German works of art:  Hitler and the Nazis started the war, not the Soviet Union.  Of course, this is inarguable.  The horrific losses of the Soviet Union, estimated to be as many as 25 million people—7.5 million soldiers and 17.5 million civilians—is so mind boggling in scope as to be difficult to grasp.  (Think about a city the size of Mexico City vanishing as a point of reference.) 

I am frequently asked what I think about the ongoing debate that always simmers with periodic flare-ups on the occasion of a newly discovered or confirmed German work of art being located in Russia.  Some point out that the Hague Convention makes no provision for any country to keep such artifacts as compensation for war losses.  That is true of course.  However, I don’t believe that those who framed the convention could have foreseen that one nation could be so thoroughly devastated and destroyed as Russia experienced during the War.  Truly, the losses in all areas were staggering.  The problem of how to deal with this situation is but another example of the altered legacy left us by Hitler and the Nazis.

Reason does, on occasion, prevail.  In fact, the more often these matters are left to the cultural officials and museum officials rather than the politicians, the more likely and frequently a solution will be found.  Recently, Russia’s lower house of Parliament (the State Duma) approved the return of six stained glass windows to St. Mary’s Church, Marienkirche, in Frankfurt-upon-Oder.  These windows had been housed in Moscow’s Pushkin Museum.  This followed the return in 2002 by Russia of 111 stained glass panels to the church which had been stored at the Hermitage Museum and, at the time, were thought to be all of the stained glass windows in Russia’s possession.  No doubt the precedent established in the earlier return made this recent decision easier.  Still, there has been a public hardening of positions in Russia since 2002, so I consider this a small sign but still a sign of progress. 

This horrible situation will require decades to solve.  It is a generational problem, a process, not an event.  It is a thaw….but one that over time, I believe will occur in one form or another.  Without visiting Russia, in particular such places as Pyskaria….cemetery outside St. Petersburg, where up to one million people are buried, most of whom starved to death during the Blockade, it is impossible to appreciate the open wound so many people in Russia still feel from the events that took place more than 67 years ago.  

With the great success our film, The Rape of Europa, continues to have in Dallas, it’s not at all surprising that audiences in Plano would want to see it in their own city. I am very pleased we have been able to accommodate them with an opening this Friday at the Angelika Film Center in Plano. Two daily showings are scheduled and the times are:

Friday, February 8 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Saturday, February 9 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Sunday, February 10 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Monday, February 11 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Tuesday, February 12 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Wednesday, February 13 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Thursday, February 14 - 12:00 and 4:35pm

For more information about the show times or directions to the theater, please click on the following link: www.angelikafilmcenter.com.

I will be hosting a Question and Answer session both days at the conclusion of the 4:35 showing. Those are always fun for me because I make new contacts and sometimes get leads for our work tracking down Monuments Men and their families. I hope you will join us and bring a friend — or a bus load of friends!!

The Rape of Europa opened its theatrical run in Houston this past Friday evening at the Angelika Theater. I traveled to Houston to introduce the film on Saturday to a good crowd, all of whom stayed afterwards for a lively “question and answer” session. In fact, these “q and a” sessions have become a real hit with audiences everywhere I have traveled. People are curious to combine their knowledge of pieces of the story with the experience of seeing the film and the realization that this is, in truth, one very large and dramatic episode in our modern history.

As mentioned in last week’s blog on the great run of the film in Dallas, our film needs the support of the public not just as patrons of the film, but in telling others about the film and their experience in seeing it. We all believe this is an important story so remarkably developed in text by Lynn Nicholas and brought to life in this film by Actual Films. It is a story of interest to all people in all walks of life. I hope all my supporters out there will take a moment to contact your friends in Houston and encourage them to see the film. While its duration on screen depends directly on attendance, I can promise you this: this is a word of mouth experience that people share with others and that ensures a lengthy run for the film IF IT IS GIVEN A CHANCE. That first and second week is so critical…so we all appreciate your help in making Houston another big success for this fine film.

(Robert Edsel speaking at the Lifelong Learning Society on the Florida Atlantic University campus)

More than 400 people attended my lecture at the beautiful Elinor Bernon Resenthal Lifelong Learning Complex on the MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, Florida. Rene Friedman and her able team did a great job in preparing the audience for what was a very special evening discussing the Monuments Men and our wonderful film, The Rape of Europa. In fact, I lost track of the number of times a guest walked up to me and said that they had seen the film 2 or 3 times already. Many also told me that they went straight home after the movie and emailed all their friends to tell them about the film. This kind of audience support is vital to the success of the film, especially when you understand the degree of competition for screens by all the different movie studios. Little films with big ideas such as ours depend on word of mouth of the audience to survive. Clearly, based on the results to date, we have been blessed with wonderful patrons of the film and of course, the overall subject.

The Lifelong Learning Center at FAU celebrated its tenth year yesterday with my presentation. What a remarkable ten years it has been as they have built from nothing an excellent facility that in a short time has grown to include more than 6,000 students and over 11,000 class registrations!!! It was a real privilege to speak to this group and be a part of their important milestone of ten years in operation. I see this yearning to learn everywhere I speak, especially among our older audiences. Anyone who believes that retirement spells the end of learning hasn’t gotten out very much. I see just the contrary…and it is inspiring.

One of the most exciting developments for me at these type events is meeting people and hearing their stories…and everyone has at least one!! Sometimes they offer leads to stolen or missing art (there were two last evening); other times they are equally amazing stories about World War II that people everywhere need to know (three of those last night), and sometimes just a great story having nothing to do with our subject matter but something to put a smile on your face (had several; enjoy those the most). Last night’s audience was very well informed; I appreciated their enthusiasm for a long presentation–more than an hour and a half–followed by thirty minutes of questions. There’s nothing better than speaking to a well-informed audience…it sure makes my job a joy.

This vehicle, carrying a custom crate containing the portrait of King Charles I, was in transit to Manod for underground storage. Officials had to lower the level of the road to create sufficient passage-way. This was but one of many types of problems confronting museum officials as they rushed to protect their national heritage (from Rescuing Da Vinci, pg 53)	Anthony van Dyck, Equestrian Portrait of Charles I, c. 1637-38. Oil on canvas, 3.7 x 2.9m (14 ft 2 in x 9 ft 6 in). The National Gallery, London.

I visited the National Gallery today and walked directly into the room with magnificent painting by Anthony van Dyck of Equestrian Portrait of Charles I, an enormous canvas measuring about 12 by 10 feet. This great work, painted in 1637, was just one of thousands of works of art at the National Gallery and other London museums that were at risk during World War II.

In preparation for war, museum officials packed up tens of thousands of paintings, sculptures, and other priceless treasures and began the complicated process of transporting them to famous but remote country estates and castles for safekeeping. Some would remain there for the duration of the war, but in many cases others had to be relocated again to quarries and mines in the Wales region where they were placed underground.

Movement of the van Dyck was a particularly cumbersome problem due to its size. It was loaded on its own truck and secured to a large wood panel, then covered with a tarpeline for added security. Seems simple enough, et?

In fact, the well-mapped out road to its intended destination overlooked one crucial detail: road overpass height! As such, the vehicle couldn’t pass beneath the bridge above, even after deflating the tires. These kind of problems bedeviled art officials in allied countries over and over again.

In this instance, officials actually lowered the road a sufficient depth to allow passage. The painting ultimately arrived safely to Manod Quarry where it sat out the war. All this effort was perversely rewarded: the National Gallery along with most of London’s main museums were damaged by German bombing and subsequent fires during the blitz of the great city. That we can visit today this incredible museum and enjoy such wonderful works of art is a credit to the museum officials — and Monuments Men — who worked so diligently at protecting these treasures of civilization for us all.

A friend of mine who is a psychologist says about life, “…it goes by quick…enjoy it…”. Sometimes it is wise to NOT go on to the proverbial “next” thing so quickly and enjoy what just happened. I feel that way about my trip to Kansas City and the opportunity to speak at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Today I want to share with you a few more photos and comments from that great moment.

From the moment you see the museum it exudes a sense of permanence, almost as if it always existed. It’s not flashy or hip although the recently opened Bloch addition certainly adds a modern dimension and compliments the existing building wonderfully. Timeless…that’s the word…and it inspires in the most subtle of ways a calming of the soul, a bit of confidence about the future, and quietly reminds us of life’s meaningful priorities, not the temporal and usually fleeting problems that weigh us down. Don’t believe for a second that because I understand this that I, too, am not effected: I am. Life sometimes drags me down, too.

Once inside the museum, you will discover how broad a topic “art” truly is, for paintings are but one form of art on display. Unlike many museums, art objects such as porcelains, drawings, armor, majolica, and stained glass to name a few examples may be found mixed in tastefully and educationally with paintings and sculpture. The Cleveland Museum and Detroit Museum both stand out so vividly as prime examples of this erudite and classic tasteful presentation of art. Personally, I find arranging a museum where one room has all of one type object, another has all of something else, very formulaic and sleep-inducing. I think the Kimbell Museum, under the directorship of Tim Potts, has also enhanced its remarkable collection by placing the great sculptures and other objects in its collection in the center of some of its rooms to allow the museum to become three dimensional…a much more “living” and tactile way of viewing and interacting with art.

(Sold-Out Auditorium listening to presentation)

Each of these great museums mentioned above have remarkable auditoriums: I know, I have spoken at all but the one in Cleveland. The Detroit auditorium is a sight to behold as is the one in Toledo….pure majesty. While the Kimbell auditorium isn’t as large, it has great character and is perfectly complimentary to the great building by Louis Kahn.

(Children listening to a Docent discuss a version of a version of Waterlilies by Claude Monet)
I mentioned the importance of using museums to introduce our youngsters to the joy of art…to allow them that moment of inspiration, to feel the creative spark that seeing these wonderfully talented artists made many years ago. The docents at the Nelson-Atkins are always busy with school kids and other groups as I could easily see during my two days there. Lest you think these docents are just staying busy, think again: they know their museum and they know its art. I followed two different groups for about 30 minutes one day as I was eager to not only see how the kids responded and interacted to what they had to say, but also because I WAS LEARNING THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW about some of these objects!! Like a great wine, music, another culture or language, there is always more to learn.

So hop on a plane, pack up the car, but however you go about it please visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum. It will be one of those experiences that you say after leaving, “well, I was mildly curious and kinda wanted to go and kinda didn’t….but having gone, I am sure glad I did. It is fantastic.” And it is every bit that, I promise.