Robert Edsel's Blog
February 18th, 2011 | 2:42 pm
Please listen in tomorrow to Travel with Rick Steves for a revealing interview with Monuments Man Harry Ettlinger and me about a unique, one of a kind trip we have designed in conjunction with The National World War II Museum. This September we will be taking a small group, limited to just 35 people, on a unique experience: In The Footsteps of the Monuments Men.
I will be leading this 10 day trip during which we will visit the key locations in which the Monuments Men worked including some of the most dramatic moments of their wartime duty: discovery of Nazi treasure troves at the Castle of Neuschwanstein and in the Alt Aussee salt mine. We will also visit the site of Hitler’s home in Berchtesgaden and the Eagle’s Nest where many of the albums of photographs of works of art stolen by the Nazis were located.
Founder and President of the Monuments Men Foundation Robert M. Edsel and Monuments Man Harry Ettlinger
This is our third appearance on Travel with Rick Steves, Rick and his outstanding producer, Tim Tattan do a great job with these programs. They were very excited about this show in particular because of the news of our trip and Harry’s participation. For more details on the trip please click on this link: http://www.nationalww2museum.org/travel/2011-monuments-men-tour.pdf
The National World War II Museum is the leading tour provider of trips to key World War II sites and has years of experience organizing such trips all the result of its co-founder and leading World War II historian, Stephen Ambrose. We are so very excited to be working with their team of experts and historians in making this an experience everyone will forever cherish. http://www.nationalww2museum.org/
Tags: Harry Ettlinger, Monuments Men, National World War II Museum, Neushwanstein, Robert Edsel, The Rick Steves Show, Travel Europe
Posted in Amazing Stories, General, Interviews, Media, Monuments Men, Travel and Museum Hints, World War II | 2 Comments »
February 18th, 2011 | 9:57 am
Robert Edsel is talking about the “Monuments Men” on “Travel With Rick Steves” radio program this weekend. He is chatting with an original “Monuments Men”, Harry Ettlinger, a German-born Jew whose family escaped to America and now helps repatriate the treasures of Europe from caves and castles where plunder was stashed.
To find out what station airs “Travel with Rick Steves”, click the link http://www.ricksteves.com/radio/whereitairs.htm.
If you missed the broadcast of this episode, you can still listen to the program through Rick Steves’ Program Archive: http://www.ricksteves.com/radio/archive.htm. The program will be available on February 20th.
About the Program
“Travel with Rick Steves” is a fun, hour-long, practical talk show with guest experts and questions from travelers. This weekly program is a lively conversation between travelers and the experts as we learn to
If you want to learn more about “Travel With Rick Steves” radio program, click here: http://www.ricksteves.com/radio/radio_menu.htm.
Tags: German-Jew, German-Jew World War II, Harry Ettlinger, Monuments Men, Radio, Radio Interview, Rick Steves, Robert Edsel, Travel with Rick Steves
Posted in Amazing Stories, General, Interviews, Media, Monuments Men, Monuments Men Foundation, Robert Edsel | 3 Comments »
February 8th, 2011 | 12:15 pm
Mr. Robert M. Edsel and Ms. Maria Altmann
On February 7th, 2011, Ms. Maria Altmann passed away at the age of 94. She escaped Nazi-occupied Vienna and returned to Austria in 1998 to wage a triumphant fight to recover Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer, an iconic portrait of her remarkable aunt.
To watch a short video to learn more about her remarkable story, please click the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsSnR0IygJ8
To learn more about her remarkable story, please click the link: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-maria-altmann-20110208,0,493390,full.story
We will write more about this woman’s remarkable life in the coming days.
Ms. Maria Altmann in front of her aunt's portrait "Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer" by Gustav Klimt
Tags: Austria, Gold Portrait, Gustav Klimt, Jewish, Los Angeles Times, Maria Altmann, Monuments Men, Monuments Men Foundation, Obituary, Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer, Robert Edsel, Vienna, World War II
Posted in Amazing Stories, Art, General, Interviews, Restitutions, Robert Edsel | 1 Comment »
January 5th, 2011 | 11:59 am
Robert Edsel appeared on the Good Morning Texas program this morning. He was discussing the history of the Monuments Men, the events at SMU, and the ongoing events about the Monuments Men Foundation. Click on the link to watch the video.
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January 4th, 2011 | 1:24 pm
Robert Edsel will make a live appearance talking about the Monuments Men on Good Morning Texas tomorrow staring at 9am on WFAA Dallas. Please click the link for more information http://www.wfaa.com/good-morning-texas.
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December 14th, 2010 | 1:40 pm
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"In the Footsteps of the Monuments Men" Tour
In 2011, The National World War II Museum’s Five Star Tours will join with Robert M. Edsel, author of best-selling The Monuments Men and Founder and President of the Monuments Men Foundation, to offer a tour in search of a different kind of war hero: the Monuments Men – scholar soldiers who raced to save civilization’s treasures from destruction by the Nazis in the chaotic final days of World War II.
Click Here To Read More >>
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From the Desk of Robert M. Edsel
The close of another year brings with it blessings for the progress and events of 2010. No development brings greater long term promise than the ongoing relationship between the Monuments Men Foundation and The National World War II Museum. The museum is a national treasure, with more than a half million visitors annually and growing by leaps and bounds. Nothing affirms the importance of these heroes and their legacy more than the endorsement and support of The National World War II Museum.
With the growth in our activity, we have made the decision to create quarterly newletters in 2011 to share with our many supporters and friends the latest developments, discoveries, and achievements of the Foundation. Of course, I’m always available to answer any questions. I love hearing from you, please call me any time.
I wish each of you the happies of holidays and New Year!
Click Here to Read More >>
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December 8th, 2010 | 3:21 pm
I’ve written many times before about the brave American men and women in uniform who are preserving our freedom. As we are fond of saying at the Monuments Men Foundation and the National World War ll Museum, “freedom is NOT free”. These brave soldiers, our guardians, risk their lives every day, many in faraway places. The amount of time I spend in airports around the country is a constant visual reminder as I regularly see all too many of our troops, headed home for leave, or back overseas for another tour of duty.
Yesterday one of my dearest friend’s senior nurse told me a story that had me in tears. Her son is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan as part of a high risk operational team. Earlier this year, while waiting to greet her son at the airport, her eight year old daughter saw a group of soldiers in uniform preparing to board a flight. The young girl walked up to them, smiled, and asked, “Are you in the army with my brother?” The soldiers returned the smile and asked her the name of her brother. She responded, “my brother’s name is Jason; do you know him?”
It’s a small story, but one that is deeply personal for this family; it is another reminder of the impact military service has on families whose brave sons and daughters are serving our nation and preserving for those of us at home the values and way of life we cherish most. To our veterans everywhere, and all those in military service, thank you for your service to our nation! We DO appreciate your sacrifice!
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December 7th, 2010 | 9:07 am
We set aside two days a year to honor our Veterans: Memorial Day and Veterans Day. But other days of the year border on such importance…today is one of them. More than 2,400 men and women were killed on this date 69 years ago as they innocently went about their duty and lives that Sunday morning. It was a dastardly act by Japan and it’s warlords as they sought to knock out the Pacific fleet of the United States in one swift blow. Within days the United States was at war with Japan and its allies, Nazi Germany and Italy. World War II had begun in earnest.
Less than three weeks later a meeting would take place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City that would have far reaching implications.Visionary leaders such as George Stout, Paul Sachs, and Francis Henry Taylor, expressed concern about protecting this country’s cultural treasures from concerns about a Japanese invasion of the west coast and Nazi bombings on the east coast. In time these specific fears subsided but were replaced with an even greater concern: how to protect the cultural treasures of the western world from the path of war that inevitably would lead to the doors of the Reichschancellery in Berlin.
Fortunately we live in a world today that was spared the “what if” consequences of the Monuments Men never having been created.We can visit the world’s great museums and see the vast majority of the greatest accomplishments of man’s creative genius because of their vision and sacrifices. Pearl Harbor set them into motion.
So on this day, let us remember the brave men and women who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor. May we also acknowledge those who acted and set in motion one of the most benevolent efforts in the history of mankind, an effort that preserved much of the accumulated art, music, and culture produced by thousands of years of civilization, from the path of war: the Monuments Men and women.
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December 3rd, 2010 | 11:57 am
These are pictures I took during my visit to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Even after visiting this museum many times, there is always something new to see or experience. I highly recommend anyone that is visiting New Orleans to visit this museum, you will not be disappointed.
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November 11th, 2010 | 9:27 am
Today is THE day to fly your flag, to display your appreciation for the sacrifice of so many millions of Americas who have had their lives changed, and in too many instances, lost, in service to our nation.
I am at the National World War II Museum all day for ceremonies to honor our veterans. (I’ll be posting photos on Twitter and Facebook all day from New Orleans.)
Brave men and women have given years of their lives to ensure that we enjoy the freedoms which define the society in which we live. Too many have also given their lives! Expressing out "thanks" may seem like a small gesture by comparison, but I can attest to the fact that an appreciative gesture of any sort is always well-received. Oftentimes I see people in airports walk up to men and women in uniform, returning home of on leave, to say "thanks for your service to our nation." From my own personal experience doing this, I can tell you that while soldiers may appear shy, or just say "thanks" in return, they are swelling up with pride inside.
One of our Monuments Men, Harry Ettlinger, regularly goes to the airport near his home town to greet returning vets, one veteran to another. I’ve seen people give up their seats in the front of airplanes to allow a serviceman or woman a better seat. There are countless other ways to "do something" to express your appreciation to these brave men and women all of which will leave you feeling better and will be immeasurably well-received by our heroes.
Click Here to Watch a Video Dedicated to Veterans Day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLqYev6Thck
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