Robert Edsel's Blog

Metallica's Drummer Lars Ulrich and Diego Edsel. Photo Courtesy of Robert M. Edsel.

I’m outside Zurich with my son Diego getting ready to head to the stage to see his idols – Metallica – perform. The rain has stopped, skies cleared, and Diego has just met Lars before we all head over to the performing area for what I know will be an incredible evening. And yes, to all my friends who keep asking me, I gave Lars, James, Robert and Kirk an inscribed copy of The Monuments Men!”

Robert and Diego Edsel. Photo courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection.

Today I’m utilizing space for a personal message, call it an author’s prerogative if you will.  17 years ago this handsome, loving and gifted boy was delivered into this world, our son, Diego.  He has been a source of pride for us as parents, and has brought joy to all those with whom he has come into contact.  Being around him makes anyone happier.

Robert and Diego Edsel. Photo courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection.

Diego is a musician, a gifted guitarist, and is entirely self-taught.  He can play it all, but at present heavy metal is his passion…Metallica is his role model.  And off to Zurich we go in a few weeks’ time to see Metallica, father and son.

Happy Birthday my son!

From left to right: Dr. Hans-Martin Hinz from the DHM (Deutsches Historisches Museum), Mr. Florian Scheurle from the BADV/Ministry of Finance, and Robert M. Edsel. Photo courtesy of Deutsches Historisches Museum.

Last week’s return of the Gemäldegalerie Linz Album XIII to the DHM (Deutsches Historisches Museum) in Berlin was another milestone achievement in our efforts to actively preserve the legacy of these remarkable men and women who saved so much of our cultural heritage during and after World War ll.  We honor their memory and underscore the modern day need to continue their work with events such as this.

We were so warmly received by Dr. Hans-Martin Hinz and his team at the DHM, a remarkable museum filled with more objects and knowledge about German history than anyone could ever fully study.  Much like our National Archives, the DHM team has made history interactive and fun for people of all ages, especially foreign visitors.  I encourage anyone visiting Berlin to allocate a half day minimum to see some of its remarkable displays.

From left to right: Dorothee Schneider, Dr. Birgit Schwartz (art historian), Dr. Hans-Martin Hinz (DHM), Robert Edsel, Dr. Matthias Miller (head of the library and curator of Old Master Prints DHM), Translator, Mr. Max Maldacker (Foreign Ministry, Head of Department for Culture and Communication), Ms. Maja Schweitzer (Foreign Ministry, Department for Culture and Communication), Mr. Harald Konig (BADV/Finance Ministry). Photo Courtesy of Deutsches Historisches Museum.

After the return ceremony we were given a brief tour of just the reading room in their library.  Remarkably this room appears largely as it did when constructed more than a hundred years ago.  It contains many old and priceless manuscripts including the first edition of Goethe’s “Faust” dated 1808, a 1200 year old handwritten document called the “Heliand fragment” written in an old Saxonian dialect now extinct, and even a first edition of the German children’s book ”Max & Moritz” from 1865, which sold at auction in Germany for about 125,000 Euro.”

These cultural exchanges of good will between countries won’t change our world, but each step, no matter how small, further and strengthen the ties that bind us.  These alliances are essential to overcoming the challenges of our new world.

Since its founding almost 3 years ago the Monuments Men Foundation has been working to encourage museums and collectors alike to comply with best practices guidelines. Simply stated, that means “know your collection” and where the objects were during the reign of the Nazis:  1933-1946.  Many museums, and some collectors, have embraced these guidelines. Some have been slow to catch up. A few continue to ignore the matter.

Belo’s Dallas station, WFAA, an ABC affiliate, broadcast a piece last evening highlighting a recent case we discovered several years ago at SMU’s Meadows Museum in conjunction with research on my first book, Rescuing Da Vinci.  Officials at the Meadows are now aggressively engaged conducting key provenance research on their collection as a whole and the two paintings covered by the story in particular, to their credit.

This case highlights one aspect of the work of the Foundation and the tangible results we continue to obtain while trying to work with important institutions like the Meadows Museum.

You can view the story by clicking on the following link:

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Art-Stolen-by-Hitler-Found-at-SMU-Meadows-Museum.html

This month’s Monuments Men Newsletter focuses on the efforts of Dwight D. Eisenhower regarding his victory in Europe and protecting cultural property. We also highlight the role of Germany in this last chapter of World War II. Please click on the link to read the newsletter.

Robert M. Edsel speaking at 65th Anniversary of "V-E Day" hosted by Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Photo Courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection

This weekend I was honored to be one of two speakers at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, known as “V-E” Day or Victory in Europe.  The other speaker was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who took the opportunity to make a major policy statement about the urgent need for  Defense Department budget cuts citing warnings from General Eisenhower years ago about controlling the costs of post-war military spending.

Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert Gates speaking at the 65th "V-E Day" Anniversary hosted by Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Photo Courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection.

The campus like setting is beautiful with the museum and library buildings adjacent to Ike’s family home where he lived until leaving home for West Point.  There is a small chapel where Ike and his wife Mamie are buried alongside their son Doud who died at the age of 4.  In fact, one of the most touching moments of the weekend was seeing acclaimed political observer David Gergen make a point of visiting the chapel – the only member of a large media contingent to do so. He understood no doubt the historical importance of this great man and wanted to pay his respects.

From L to R: Robert M. Edsel; Karl Weissenbach, Director of Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum; Allen Cullum, Trustee, Monuments Men Foundation. Photo Courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection

Director Karl Weissenbach and his great team organized a fantastic celebration which began with my lecture Friday night. On Saturday he provided our group with a full tour of the archive and museum.  It was an honor to be surrounded by reminders of this great leader’s historic achievements – as a soldier, Supreme Allied Commander, President, and as a family man and friend.  The archives are overwhelmingly impressive with millions of documents involving all facets of Ike’s life and career and more than a half million photographs!  A researcher’s delight awaits.

Robert M. Edsel standing in front a statue of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Photo Courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection.

General Eisenhower’s leadership saved our world from the greatest threat of the 20th century – perhaps ever. To be a part of honoring him and the millions of soldiers who fought to win the peace in Europe was an honor and experience I will forever cherish.

James A Leach (Photo Courtesy of NEH)

One sure sign of demonstrable progress is the ongoing public recognition by key government officials of our efforts to recognize and preserve the legacy of the Monuments Men.  Last week the recently appointed Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a great friend and supporter of the Monuments Men Foundation, Jim Leach, spoke at a conference on cultural heritage at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.  One key aspect of his speech concerned the work of the Monuments Men and the role of the Foundation in making their story broadly visible.  Below is an excerpt of that portion of his remarks.  Those wishing to read the full text of his speech may do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/speeches/04102010.html

As preservationists know, one of the most respectful cultural moments in our history came at a signal moment at the end of World War II when a small cadre of American military officers came to be cultural heroes. Subsequently dubbed the “Monuments Men,” they led in cataloguing and returning works of looted art from Nazi hands to countries of origin. It is only in the last dozen years or so that historians and filmmakers—one supported by the NEH—have begun to bring perspective to the unprecedented displacement of cultural artifacts that the Second World War precipitated. Unlike other nations that have too frequently absconded with art treasures as booty of war, the American military wisely recognized that cultural objects belonged to original owners rather than conquering armies. It would have been a public insult of unpardonable dimension to have taken a culturally punitive tack.

As chairman of a House Committee with jurisdiction over banking matters, I held four years of hearings in the mid-1990s on the greatest mass theft in history, a subject which for decades had been historically slighted because Nazi avarice was so overwhelmed by its accompaniment with the greatest mass murder in history. What we unearthed in stories of victims and from perspectives applied by historians and philosophers to the shadowy corners of the Holocaust where greed reined was an axiom about the nature of evil: The genesis of evil may begin with perpetrators of violence and injustice, but complicity too frequently lies beyond the perpetrator with those who cloak themselves in the legitimacy of private business and genteel society. Indifferent to the most unpardonable ramifications of human prejudice, many of the seemingly best and brightest in civilization’s most advanced cultures manipulated with little compunction manifestly oppressive circumstances in furtherance of self-interest.

Our Congressional hearings helped galvanize many European parliaments to hold comparable reviews and led to an international conference which I chaired at the State Department on Holocaust era displacement of art. These hearings and the art conference, as well as the work of an extraordinary Under Secretary of State, Stuart Eizenstat, sparked increased attention not only to the war-time role of international banks and insurance companies where symbolic additional victim compensation packages were developed, but led to the drawing up of new national and international art provenance standards for museums.

Back in February, I had to cancel my lecture at the University of Pennsylvania Law School due to heavy snowstorms all along the eastern seaboard which made traveling, either by air or by land, impossible. This is still the only speaking engagement I’ve had to cancel (out of more than 50!).

Happily, I am pleased to announce that this lecture was rescheduled and will be held on April 21 from 4:30 – 5:30 in S-240A and is open to everyone. I will be discussing my current book, “The Monuments Men” which details the extraordinary experiences this small group of Allied soldiers encountered in protecting, saving and returning Europe’s priceless artistic treasures. This lecture is sponsored by Penn Law Association in the Arts.  A reception and book signing is to follow. For more information, please click on the link.

University of Pennsylvania Law presents lecturer Robert M. Edsel

In the short while I have served the National World War ll Museum board as a trustee, I have come to know many of the very fine people that run this great organization and museum.  To the person they are incredibly enthusiastic about the mission of the museum and the opportunity they have to further the telling of the heroism of Americans who fought to preserve the liberties we enjoy today.  I have met some of the other trustees who have worked for years donating time and financial resources to making the museum a reality, truly one of the great visitor experiences anywhere.  This was reinforced for all of us at the Monuments Men Foundation this past weekend during our company visit to New Orleans where I was a keynote speaker about the Monuments Men at the International World War II Conference.

One of the more prominent members of the board is Super Bowl winning quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.  Drew’s grandfather stormed onto the beaches of the South Pacific during World War II as a young marine.   He knows firsthand the importance of honoring these remarkable veterans and sharing the story of their sacrifices with people today.  In fact, Drew has participated in several USO tours to visit our troops overseas.  It speaks well of this young man that his life and conduct off the competitive field is defined by helping others and serving his community.

People such as Drew make the National World War II Museum the special place it has become.  The Monuments Men Foundation is so very excited about our ongoing relationship with the Museum and the day when the legacy of the Monuments Men and their story will be a part of the permanent exhibitions on display.

To view Drew Bree’s speaking about the National World War II Museum and the importance of its mission, please click on the link.

National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (Image Courtesy of Wikipedia Images)

When visiting the National Gallery of Art in Washington, it’s hard to believe it is only 69 years old.  Its majestic appearance and rich collections suggest a museum many centuries in age.  How could all these artistic treasures be assembled so late in history?  Who had the vision to suggest that the United States finally have a national collection for the people such as those in nearly all European countries?

National Gallery of Art West Side in the 1940s (Image Courtesy of Wikipedia Images)

In fact, hard as it is to believe, much of the success of the National Gallery of Art is due to the generosity of one man:  Andrew W. Mellon. Mellon was a successful financier before serving as the Secretary of the Treasury from 1921-1932 and U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1932-1933. He began collecting art, mostly old master painters and sculpture, during World War l.  By the late 1920s he had developed a vision that would become the National Gallery of Art, a collection of the world’s greatest works of art for the benefit of its citizens.   However, while he continued to add to his extraordinary collection, his plans for the museum and the donations he would make that would assure its construction were kept secret.

Andrew Mellon (Image Courtesy of National Gallery of Art)

In 1930, with the world firmly in the grip of the Depression, Mellon seized on one of the greatest buying opportunities in the history of collecting: a series of purchases from Russia’s greatest museum, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, a once in a lifetime event driven by orders from Soviet Premier Stalin to museum officials to raise cash by selling art. This despicable decision by Stalin was received with shock by museum officials, but fear of the repercussions outweighed any alternative.  In the course of a year Mellon purchased 21 paintings, the likes of which would never have been available but for these extraordinary circumstances, including Raphael’s Alba Madonna and Jan van Eyck’s The Annunciation.  It was the coup of Mellon’s collecting career.

The Opening Ceremony at the National Gallery of Art presided by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Image Courtesy of National Gallery of Art)

In 1936 Mellon wrote President Roosevelt and formally offered to build the National Gallery of Art building and donate his collection to the nation.  Ultimately 121 paintings and 21 pieces of sculpture from Mellon’s collection were gifted.  Not only did he provide $15 million to build the building, but he also stipulated that it would not bear his name.  This was not only an extraordinary act of selflessness but also a strategically wise decision because Mellon knew he had to enlist the support of his peers to also promise their respective collections to the National Gallery of Art.  Putting his name on the building was something he understood would make that task difficult if not impossible. By excluding his name from the building Mellon was empowered to persuade others, including Samuel H. Kress, Chester Dale, and Joseph P. Widener, to donate or commit their collections to the nation.  In the coming years these great collectors and many others made gifts of collections and funds, a tradition that continues to this day.

Leonardo da Vinci, "Ginevra de Benci", 1476, Oil on Wood, 38.8 cm × 36.7 cm (15.3 in × 14.4 in) (Image Courtesy of Wikipedia Images)

Mellon also established a trust, donating $10 million, to fund the Gallery during those early years.  This was just the beginning of almost a century of philanthropy by the Mellon family as Mellon’s son, Paul, and daughter, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, continued their father’s support with generous financial donations as well as works of art.  In fact, the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in an American collection, Ginevra de’ Benci, is at the National Gallery of Art, made possible by the Ailsa Mellon Bruce fund.

Robert M. Edsel speaking at The National Gallery of Art in January 2010. (Photo Courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection)

The National Gallery of Art is one of our nation’s greatest cultural centers and is full of visitors every day of the year but for the two it is closed. The facilities are state of the art and beautiful to admire. Anyone wanting to see one of the world’s great collections of art need not travel further than Washington, D.C. For those seeking a great example of selfless giving, study Andrew Mellon and his role in making this once lofty vision a reality.