Art Tours for Book Lovers: Enliven Your Book Club with Docent Led Discussions
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel
2014-2015 Utah Museum of Fine Arts Tours for Book Lovers Selection
ABOUT THE BOOK “At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the Western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: ‘degenerate’ works he despised. In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Monuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.” From product description.
BOOK DISCUSSION GUIDE Use the information and discussion guide on the following pages to facilitate your book club’s conversation about this book. Then visit us at www.umfa.utah.edu/arttoursforbooklovers to schedule a group tour.
1. Robert Edsel calls the Monuments Men “The Heroes of Civilization.” What do you think he means by that? Discuss the original group of eleven men recruited to salvage Europe’s artwork. What were the men's individual qualifications, both personal and professional, that made them the right people for the job? 2. Why was the service of George Stout and James Rorimer so invaluable to the mission? Who else stood out among the Monuments Men? 3. Robert Edsel has said, “Rose Valland is my candidate for the greatest heroine of WWII.” Do you agree? Why was she willing to risk her life to protect the art? 4. Why do you think Hitler was so intent on creating his Führermuseum? 5. Why did Hitler and Göring covet Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece, and how was it eventually located? 6. Why was the Bruges Madonna especially desired by Hitler? 7. In your opinion, is protecting art worth the price of a human life—or diverting resources otherwise used to protect lives? 8. Harry Ettlinger states, “My knowledge of the Holocaust started really with the realization that it was not only the taking of lives—that I learned much later in my experience—but the taking of all their belongings…” Compare stealing personal belongings with stealing national treasures. Is there a difference? What effect does this have on a nation’s collective mental health? 9. Are there similar atrocities taking place today? Examples? What’s different? 10. Discuss what you found most fascinating about The Monuments Men. The brazen theft of the Bruges Madonna with the Allies mere days away? The discovery of the Ghent Altarpiece in the Altaussee mine? Which story touched you the most? Or shocked you? 11. If you have seen the George Clooney-directed movie, how does it compare to the book? 12. Why do you think this is a relatively unknown story? 13. What motivated the impulse to save and recover art that belonged to other countries, including the enemy – Germany? 14. How is it possible that there are still thousands of missing works of art? Once found, should they be returned to their original owners?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert M. Edsel is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the non-fiction books, Rescuing Da Vinci, The Monuments Men, and Saving Italy. Mr. Edsel is also the co-producer of the award-winning documentary film The Rape of Europa. In addition, he is the Founder and Chairman of the nonprofit Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, which received the National Humanities Medal. Mr. Edsel has been awarded the "Texas Medal of Arts" Award, the "President's Call to Service" Award, and the "Hope for Humanity" Award, presented by the Dallas Holocaust Museum. He also serves as a Trustee at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
ADDITIONAL READING AND VIEWING Berge, Richard. The Rape of Europa. Menemsha Films (September 16, 2008). Charney, Noah. Stealing the Mystic Lamb: the True Story of the World’s Most Coveted Masterpiece. Public Affairs (October 2010). Edsel, Robert M. Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe’s Great Art – American and Her Allies Recovered It. Laurel Publishing LLC (December 15, 2006). Edsel, Robert M. Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation’s Treasures from the Nazis. W.W. Norton and Company (February 3, 2014). Nicholas, Lynn H. The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War. Vintage Publishing (April 25, 1995). Poole, Robert M. “Monumental Mission,” Smithsonian Magazine (February 2008): 44.
RELATED WEBSITES Charney, Noah. “Inside Hitler’s Fantasy Museum.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/07/inside-hitler-s-fantasy-museum.html “Monuments Man Harry Ettlinger Interview.” http://www.historyvshollywood.com/video/monuments-man-harry-ettlinger-interview/ Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/ Monuments Men, History vs. Movie. http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/monuments- men.php Morrison, Jim. Smithsonianmag.com (February 7, 2014). http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-monuments-men-180949569/
AVAILABILITY 125 copies available through the Salt Lake County Library system (one audio copy). 10 copies available through the Salt Lake City Library system (one audio copy). Available at area bookstores. New and used hardbound and paperback copies available through various online book companies. Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook versions are available. Area booksellers, Frost’s Books and The King’s English offer discounts on UMFA Art Tours for Book Lovers books.