Robert Edsel's Blog

At Winfield House, residence of the Ambassador of the United States to the United Kingdom, with Anne Olivier Bell and Ambassador Robert H. Tuttle. Photo Courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection.

Today is British Monuments Woman Anne Olivier Popham Bell’s 94^th Birthday. Anne is the only living female member of the Monuments section that we have located.  In December 2007, I had the honor of presenting Anne with a flag of the United States which was flown over the United States Capitol in her honor, as well as a gold leaf copy of the Congressional resolution that was passed on June 6, 2007 in recognition of the heroic efforts of the Monuments Men. U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Robert H. Tuttle and his wife were also in attendance, as well as Anne’s family. It was truly a moving and memorable day. You may read more about Anne in her biography below.

MFAA Officer Anne Popham Bell. Photo Courtesy of Anne Popham Bell.

Anne Olivier Popham Bell (b. 1916)

Civilian Officer Grade 2, British Element, Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA)

Anne Olivier Popham was well prepared for work with the MFAA.  From 1934 to 1937, she studied art history at the Courtauld Institute which, combined with her family’s background in art, made her an ideal candidate.  Her father, A.E. ‘Hugh’ Popham, was a distinguished authority on Italian drawings and Keeper of the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, whose collection was transferred for safety to Wales in advance of the German Blitzkrieg on London.  Popham’s ‘war work’ began in 1941 when she joined the Ministry of Information as a research assistant in the Photographs and Publications Divisions.  Popham’s focus centered around the production of informative booklets on the British war effort published by His Majesty’s Stationary Office.  In 1945 she was transferred to the MFAA Branch of the Control Commission for Germany, and in October was stationed at Bünde in Westphalia, the Divisional Headquarters where she coordinated the Branch officers’ work.  Popham’s diaries detail her daily activities during this time and are preserved at the Imperial War Museum in London.

Following her return home from Germany in 1947, Popham joined the Art Department of the Arts Council of Great Britain, where she engaged in the preparation of major exhibitions in London and the provinces, and edited their authoritative catalogues.  In 1952 she married Quentin Bell, who later became Professor of History and Theory of Art at both Leeds and Sussex Universities.  He was the son of Clive and Vanessa Bell (the artist), central figures in the ‘Bloomsbury Group’, of which Vanessa’s sister, Virginia Woolf, was a participant.  After raising three children, Popham worked with her husband on research for his 1972 biography of his aunt, Virginia Woolf, and thereafter undertook the editing of Woolf’s complete Diary (five volumes) for which Popham was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and given two Honorary Doctorates.

Anne Olivier Bell currently lives in Sussex close to Charleston, the Bell family home.  The Charleston Trust, of which she is senior Trustee, has overseen the restoration of the historic house, which is now open to the public.  She is the only known surviving British member of the MFAA, and is still actively associated with the Bloomsbury Group.

Monuments Officer at the Munich Collecting Point (Craig Hugh Smyth second from the left). Photo Courtesy of NARA.

In June 1945, Monuments Man Craig Hugh Smyth was charged with opening and running the Munich Collecting Point, to be housed in the former Führerbau (Hitler’s offices) and Verwaltungsbau (Nazi Party Headquarters). Collecting Points were necessary to house and sort the hundreds of thousands of works of art being found by Monuments Men in repositories across Germany, and the Central Collecting Point in Munich was designated to primarily hold ERR loot, Hitler and Goering’s collections, and other works found in the Altaussee salt mine.

Munich Collecting Point before repairs were made in June 1945. Photo Courtesy of NARA.

Smyth was given less than two weeks to convert the severely damaged buildings into a suitable home for a world-class art collection. Explosives had to be removed, windows, roofs, and electric lines repaired, underground passages closed off, and a trustworthy and knowledgeable staff had to be assembled.  Monuments Man George Stout came to Munich to assist in outlining proper unloading and art handling procedures.

Exterior of the Munich Collecting Point. Photo Courtesy of NARA.

On June 17, 1945, the first load of artworks arrived in Munich from Altaussee. As each object was unloaded, it was assigned an arrival number and collecting point card, then was stored in the proper room. Eventually racks were built to safely hold all of the paintings, a library was created, and a photography studio established, all to assist with restitutions. In the six years that followed, the Monuments Men would restitute 5 million cultural items from the collecting points. Today the legacy of the Monuments Men who worked at the Munich Collecting Point lives on, as the MCP cards are still frequently used in provenance research and restitution cases.

Lt. James Rorimer (kneeling, at left) and Louvre curator Germain Bazin pose in front of Goya’s painting Time, which had been successfully protected during the war at the Château de Sourches in France. Photo Courtesy of NARA.

While tens of thousands of Allied troops were flooding the beaches of Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944), the Monuments Men were impatiently waiting to cross the English Channel for their chance to contribute. For Monuments Man James Rorimer, and future director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the gravity of the situation gripped him that day:

“We are told that the invasion of Western Europe by overwhelming forces is underway…Now I am thinking of the combat troops and the task which is theirs. We older men are anxious on the one hand to help deal the death blow to tyranny, and on the other we think of our families at home and the obligations which we have as husbands, fathers, sons, and members of the peace-time community.”
-James Rorimer Letter to his Family, June 6, 1944

While conducting research for my books (The Monuments Men and Rescuing Da Vinci) and reading the hundreds of letters the Monuments Men wrote to their families, one of the first things that struck me was the extent to which the thoughts and feelings conveyed in these letters reflected their age and maturity. The Monuments Men had an average age of 40; a few had even fought in World War I. For the most part, these heroes were not the fearless young men who went to war before their adult lives had really begun. In contrast, these men had accomplished careers, they had wives and children, they had learned lessons from life’s experiences, and they had everything to lose. Rereading their letters always reminds me about their commitment to saving the cultural world and its great artistic treasures we all cherish, and the courage of their convictions in volunteering to serve.

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.

(Nazi General Alfred Jodl (between Major Wilhelm Oxenius to the left and Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg to the right) signing the German Instrument of Surrender at Reimes, France, 7 May, 1945.)

The most destructive war in history formally ended this date 65 years ago. May 8 forever became known as “V-E” Day; Victory in Europe. More than 60 million people were killed many during World War II, many murdered by the Nazis. Property of all kinds, in particular cultural items — books, church bells, sculpture, and paintings to name but a few — were stolen as part of Hitler and the Nazis’ premeditated looting plans. It was the greatest theft in history, one that lasted almost eight years.

We continue to live with the altered legacy of Hitler and the Nazis. Consider the painful memories of families that never knew their loved ones who perished during the war, perhaps in battle or at a concentration camp; who WASN’T born that might have been, who DIDN’T live the life they were destined to live but for the murderous consequences of Hitler’s ambition? A scientist who might have discovered an alternative fuel to hydrocarbons? A doctor who perhaps could have pioneered our understanding of medicine and discovered cures for diseases? An artist or writer whose work might have transcended all ages and provided insights or happiness to people of our generation?

Life’s fragile realities play out in the obituary sections of newspapers everywhere. Not a day passes that we’re not reminded of the loss of the incredible generation of men and women who saved civilization as we know it from the gravest threat of the 20^th century, and perhaps ever. When they are gone, this will no longer be “living history”. Today should be a day of celebration, the date this great war in Europe ended. Sadly, there is little mention of the day’s significance by our media and even less discussion among the public. That is a shame.

I think of my father today, a World War II veteran of the Pacific, who died in January two years ago. We miss you Dad. Thank you and the men and women who served along side you for saving our world.

One of the many joys of serving as a trustee of the National World War II Museum is the occasional touching email I received which grabs the heartstrings and reminds all people of good will why we honor these heroes who contributed to winning World War II.

This story was written by persons unknown. If anyone does know who wrote it please let us know and we’ll more specifically credit the piece.

Bill Mauldin stamp honors grunts’  hero.

The post office gets a lot of  criticism. Always has, always will.

And with the renewed push to get  rid of Saturday mail delivery, expect complaints to intensify.

But the United States Postal Service deserves a standing ovation for something that’s going to happen this month: Bill Mauldin is getting his own postage  stamp.

Mauldin died at age 81 in the early days of 2003. The end of  his life had been rugged. He had been scalded in a bathtub, which led to  terrible injuries and infections; Alzheimer’s disease was inflicting its  cruelties. Unable to care for himself after the scalding, he became a  resident of a California nursing home, his health and spirits in  rapid decline.

He was not forgotten, though. Mauldin, and his work,  meant so much to the millions of Americans who fought in World War II, and  to those who had waited for them to come home. He was a kid cartoonist for  Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper; Mauldin’s drawings of his muddy,  exhausted, whisker-stubbled infantrymen Willie and Joe were the voice of  truth about what it was like on the front lines.

Mauldin was an  enlisted man just like the soldiers he drew for; his gripes were their  gripes, his laughs were their laughs, his heartaches were their heartaches.  He was one of them. They loved him.

He never held back. Sometimes,  when his cartoons cut too close for comfort, his superior officers tried to  tone him down. In one memorable incident, he enraged Gen. George S. Patton,  and Patton informed Mauldin he wanted the pointed cartoons — celebrating  the fighting men, lampooning the high-ranking officers — to stop.  Now.

The news passed from soldier to soldier. How was Sgt. Bill  Mauldin going to stand up to Gen. Patton? It seemed impossible.

Not  quite. Mauldin, it turned out, had an ardent fan: Five-star Gen. Dwight D.  Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe . Ike put  out the word: Mauldin draws what Mauldin wants. Mauldin won. Patton  lost.

If, in your line of work, you’ve ever considered yourself a  young hotshot, or if you’ve ever known anyone who has felt that way about  himself or herself, the story of Mauldin’s young manhood will humble you.  Here is what, by the time he was 23 years old, Mauldin had  accomplished:

He won the Pulitzer Prize. He was featured on the cover  of Time magazine. His book “Up Front” was the No. 1 best-seller in  the United States .

All of that at 23. Yet when he returned to  civilian life and he grew older, he never lost that boyish Mauldin grin, he  never outgrew his excitement about doing his job, he never big-shotted or  high-hatted the people with whom he worked every day.

I was lucky  enough to be one of them; Mauldin roamed the hallways of the Chicago  Sun-Times in the late 1960s and early 1970s with no more officiousness or  air of haughtiness than if he was a copyboy. That impish look on his face  remained.

He had achieved so much. He had won a second Pulitzer  Prize, and he should have won a third, for what may be the single greatest  editorial cartoon in the history of the craft: his deadline rendering, on  the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, of the statue at the  Lincoln Memorial slumped in grief, its head cradled in its hands. But he  never acted as if he was better than the people he met. He was still Mauldin  the enlisted man.

During the late summer of 2002, as Mauldin lay in  that California nursing home, some of the old World War II infantry guys  caught wind of it. They didn’t want Mauldin to go out that way. They thought  he should know that he was still their hero.

Gordon Dillow, a  columnist for the Orange County Register, put out the call in Southern  California for people in the area to send their best wishes to Mauldin; I  joined Dillow in the effort, helping to spread the appeal nationally so that  Bill would not feel so alone. Soon more than 10,000 letters and cards had  arrived at Mauldin’s bedside.

Even better than that, the old soldiers  began to show up just to sit with Mauldin, to let him know that they were  there for him, as he, long ago, had been there for them. So many volunteered  to visit Bill that there was a waiting list. Here is how Todd DePastino, in  the first paragraph of his wonderful biography of Mauldin, described  it:

“Almost every day in the summer and fall of 2002 they came to  Park Superior nursing home in Newport Beach , California , to honor  Army Sergeant, Technician Third Grade, Bill Mauldin. They came bearing  relics of their youth: medals, insignia, photographs, and carefully folded  newspaper clippings. Some wore old garrison caps. Others arrived resplendent  in uniforms over a half century old. Almost all of them wept as they filed  down the corridor like pilgrims fulfilling some long-neglected  obligation.”

One of the veterans explained to me why it was so  important:

“You would have to be part of a combat infantry unit to  appreciate what moments of relief Bill gave us. You had to be reading a  soaking wet Stars and Stripes in a water-filled foxhole and then see one of  his cartoons.”

Mauldin is buried  in Arlington National Cemetery . This month, the kid  cartoonist makes it onto a first-class postage stamp. It’s an honor that  most generals and admirals never receive.

What Mauldin would have  loved most, I believe, is the sight of the two guys who are keeping him  company on that stamp.

Take a look at it.

There’s Willie.  There’s Joe.

And there, to the side, drawing them and smiling that  shy, quietly observant smile, is Mauldin himself. With his buddies, right  where he belongs. Forever.

Left to Right: Generals Bradley, Patton, and Eisenhower (Photo Courtesy of National Archives)

Having heard about the extraordinary discovery of most all of Nazi Germany’s gold reserves and paper currency, along with its vast cultural wealth from Berlin’s greatest museums and libraries, in a salt mine in Merkers, Germany, Generals Eisenhower, Patton and Bradley left SHAEF headquarters in Rheims, France and made a several day visit to see it firsthand.  As the Monuments Men, led by George Stout, were urgently crating the works of art for removal from the mine, the generals descended in a rickety elevator manned by a lone German operator.

Their sense of disconnection was palpable:  billions of dollars (in today’s currency) of gold bars and bagged coins sat stacked in one chamber adjacent to some of the world’s greatest works of art. Chests filled with gold fillings pulled from the mouths of murdered victims of the Nazi genocide sat idle, not yet smelted into bars to sit atop the Reichsbank horde.  Suitcases of silverware, another reminder of property stolen along with the lives of the owners, lined several walls.

General Eisenhower at Ohrdruf Concentration Camp (Photo Courtesy of National Archives)

Later that afternoon, the generals visited Ohrdruf, the first Nazi work camp liberated by American forces. Strewn before them were the corpses of the dead and emancipated figures of those near death.  General Patton, old “Blood and Guts”, had to lean against the side of one of the bunkhouse sheds as he was sick to his stomach from the horrors and stench of what he was witnessing.

President Franklin Roosevelt attending Yalta Conference in February 1945, less than 2 months before he died. (Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

After dinner, as the generals returned to their respective tents, General Patton overheard on the BBC the announcement of President Roosevelt’s death earlier that day.  At age 63, 12 years into his presidency, having led the nation through its most perilous fiscal crisis and a world war, Roosevelt was gone. He did not live to see the fruits of his leadership – victory – which would follow 26 days later in Europe, and 125 days later in Japan.

April 12:  a day that had momentous implications for our nation, the world, and the Monuments Men.  (For a more detailed account of this story, please read The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History).

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.

The International Conference on World War II will be held from March 18^th – 20^th in New Orleans, Louisiana, sponsored by the National World War II Museum. This 3-day event will consist of keynote addresses, lectures, conferences, and roundtable discussions.

Robert Edsel is giving the keynote address on Friday, March 19 from 8:30am – 10:00, after which he will be discussing Art & War at 10:30, with Marc Pachter and Rick Atkinson. Some of the other topics that will be discussed during the conference are Allies at War, Death from Above, Espionage, Normandy, and War Crime Trials. There will also be an opportunity to meet Robert and the other speakers at a roundtable reception on Friday evening. Included with conference passes is the chance to view the museum’s exhibits as well as Beyond All Boundaries – the museum’s newest multi-experiential film at the Solomon Victory Theater. This film is truly a not to be missed visual experience.

If you are interested in attending this conference, please go to www.ww2conference.com to register on-line, or call 1-877-813-3329 x 500 or 504-527-6012 x 500. We look forward to seeing you there this week.

If you are fan of “Band of Brothers”, then you are in for a treat when “The Pacific” premiers this Sunday at 9pm EST/8pm CST on HBO. This ten part miniseries follows the lives of 3 marines who fought in the war of the Pacific. All reviews of this show gave it the highest of marks and compliments, not surprising since the same team that produced “Band of Brothers” produced “The Pacific” including Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. I hope everyone has a chance to watch this highly anticipated show and remembers the men and women who gave their live to save us from tyranny.

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