Although I haven't seen it yet, the new George Clooney film, "The Monuments Men," has drawn attention to one of the little-known stories of World War II, the effort by the Allies to save precious cultural treasures from the ravages of war. The film, which is based upon a book of the same name by Robert Edsel, follows a platoon of soldiers as they attempt to discover and retrieve artwork stolen by the Nazis.
But while Monuments Men, who were officially members of the "Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) section under the auspices of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied Armies" according to the Monuments Men Foundation, fanned out across France and Germany, another group spread out across war-torn Italy. Nicknamed the Venus Fixers, these curators, art historians, preservationists sought not only to recover artwork, but to preserve ancient and historic structures and works of art, alerting the troops about the existence of the pieces in the vicinity of the fighting. An article in the January 2014 issue of the "Smithsonian" magazine discusses their efforts.
While the film has drawn attention to this story from World War II, the work of the MFAA continues today, according to the Feb. 17, 2014 issue of "Time" magazine. They worked to preserve ancient treasures in Iraq and brewing conflicts in Syria and Mali have drawn their attention aw well.
If you want to learn more, the Monuments Men Foundation (www.monumentsmenfoundation.org) has information on its website along with listings of works of art and even documents that remain missing all these years later. It's worth a look.
Now, on a personal note, I know it's been a while since I updated this blog. It wasn't that I didn't have things to write about (and thanks to Luna who stepped in during my absence), it was just a lack of the urge to write. Blame it on the holidays and post-holiday letdown. I'll try to resume a normal schedule again.
But while Monuments Men, who were officially members of the "Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) section under the auspices of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied Armies" according to the Monuments Men Foundation, fanned out across France and Germany, another group spread out across war-torn Italy. Nicknamed the Venus Fixers, these curators, art historians, preservationists sought not only to recover artwork, but to preserve ancient and historic structures and works of art, alerting the troops about the existence of the pieces in the vicinity of the fighting. An article in the January 2014 issue of the "Smithsonian" magazine discusses their efforts.
While the film has drawn attention to this story from World War II, the work of the MFAA continues today, according to the Feb. 17, 2014 issue of "Time" magazine. They worked to preserve ancient treasures in Iraq and brewing conflicts in Syria and Mali have drawn their attention aw well.
If you want to learn more, the Monuments Men Foundation (www.monumentsmenfoundation.org) has information on its website along with listings of works of art and even documents that remain missing all these years later. It's worth a look.
Now, on a personal note, I know it's been a while since I updated this blog. It wasn't that I didn't have things to write about (and thanks to Luna who stepped in during my absence), it was just a lack of the urge to write. Blame it on the holidays and post-holiday letdown. I'll try to resume a normal schedule again.
