Monuments Men
Let's take a close look at these military documents - one written by General Eisenhower the other two written by Adolf Hitler - to see how these two men (representing two organizations) VALUE art.
What is a life worth?
Watch the video below for Professor Sandel's lecture regarding the value of a life.
Watch the video below for Professor Sandel's lecture regarding the value of a life.
EXPLORE
Station 1: Article: World War II and Nazi Plunder
We are all familiar with the battle between the Nazis and the Allies over the lives of people deemed "inhuman." We may even be familiar with the way Hitler marched across Europe claiming land for the Third Reich. But,
how much do we know about what was done to the land and possessions that were claimed in the name of
the Fuhrer?
Open the document below in Kami.
Station 1: Article: World War II and Nazi Plunder
We are all familiar with the battle between the Nazis and the Allies over the lives of people deemed "inhuman." We may even be familiar with the way Hitler marched across Europe claiming land for the Third Reich. But,
how much do we know about what was done to the land and possessions that were claimed in the name of
the Fuhrer?
Open the document below in Kami.
monuments_men_nazi_plunder.pdf | |
File Size: | 448 kb |
File Type: |
Click HERE for the Exploration Exit Slip!
|
|
Station 3: Photo Gallery
The gallery below shows actual images of the hunt for priceless works of art and attempts at preservation. It also includes two pieces that Hitler was intent on having: the Ghent Alterpiece and the Bruges Madonna
The gallery below shows actual images of the hunt for priceless works of art and attempts at preservation. It also includes two pieces that Hitler was intent on having: the Ghent Alterpiece and the Bruges Madonna
Monuments Men
Would you give your life to save a piece of art? to save a piece of your culture? to save piece of civilization?
During World War II there existed a small group of men and women who were asked to do just that. We affectionately call them theMonuments Men and this is their story.
Would you give your life to save a piece of art? to save a piece of your culture? to save piece of civilization?
During World War II there existed a small group of men and women who were asked to do just that. We affectionately call them theMonuments Men and this is their story.
Art is the soul of a society. It represents the very best things that we've achieved.
To try to save that art is an incredibly nobel endeavor. |
|
If you destroy an entire generation of a people's culture, it's as if they never existed.
That's what Hitler wants . . . and it's the one thing we can't allow. |
Primary Sources
The document below is a directive from General Eisenhower urging troops to be responsible and preserve as much art as they can.
|
The document below is a decree issued by Hitler to "repossess" as much art as possible.
|
The document below depicts a translation of Hitler's, "Nero Decree," in which he orders the destruction of Nazi Plunder rather than allow it to fall into the hands of the Allies.
The REAL Monuments Men
++CLICK HERE to compare reality to the film!
++Read the biographies of actual Monuments Men below:
=Ronald Edmund Balfour Ronald Balfour was actually removing a sculpture from Cleves Cathedral when he was killed by a shell.
=Walter J. “Hutch” Huchthausen Huchthausen was killed in a battlefield. Shortly before he had been working to remove an altarpiece from a church in a German town.
=Stewart Leonard Leonard put himself at great risk to make safe again one of the world’s great architectural landmarks, Chartres Cathedral in France.
=Harry Ettlinger Harry was a valuable member of the team because he could speak and read German. He still remembers finding Rembrandt's self portrait in a salt mine.
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/hurricane-matthew-hammers-florida/
Monuments Men of Today
Monuments Men still exist today as part of the Army Civil Affairs branch.
The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archieves Program was always a small subset of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Div vision and it remains the case today. When the US ratified the 1954 Hague Convention in September 2008 it was with the understanding that Civil Affairs retains responsibility for Chapter 1, Article 7.
There are also other organizations that help protect the culture and heritage of people around the world, such as The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Monuments Men still exist today as part of the Army Civil Affairs branch.
The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archieves Program was always a small subset of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Div vision and it remains the case today. When the US ratified the 1954 Hague Convention in September 2008 it was with the understanding that Civil Affairs retains responsibility for Chapter 1, Article 7.
There are also other organizations that help protect the culture and heritage of people around the world, such as The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Today's Cultural Crisis
Let's use our knowledge of the Monuments Men and our new understanding of the value of art, to think more deeply about the events of the world today.
Using the article below complete ONE of the following sets of instructions!
Let's use our knowledge of the Monuments Men and our new understanding of the value of art, to think more deeply about the events of the world today.
Using the article below complete ONE of the following sets of instructions!
- Option 1 IDENTIFY (by highlighting in a color of your choice) at least THREE strong comparisons to the events depicted in The Monuments Men and/or to the information presented in Eisenhower's memo/Hitler's decree. EXPLAIN through annotations. In other words, find three similarities between the situation in 1940's Europe and 2015's Middle East.
- Option 2: IDENTIFY (by highlighting in a different color) at least THREE significant differences to the events depicted in The Monuments Men and/or to the information presented in Eisenhower's memo/Hitler's decree. EXPLAIN through annotations. In other words find three differences between the situation in 1940s Europe and 2015's Middle East.
how_isis_is_destroying_ancient_art_in_iraq_and_syria__1_.pdf | |
File Size: | 337 kb |
File Type: |
Learn More!
++To discover more about the Ghent Altarpiece and why it was, and still is, so valued, CLICK HERE.
++If you happen to find yourself near a museum (Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Washington DC, etc.) you may want to pop in and see the pieces that the Monuments Men found and returned. Click HERE for the list.
Family who lost art to Hitler during WWII doesn't give up recovery efforts.
++To discover more about the Ghent Altarpiece and why it was, and still is, so valued, CLICK HERE.
++If you happen to find yourself near a museum (Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Washington DC, etc.) you may want to pop in and see the pieces that the Monuments Men found and returned. Click HERE for the list.
Family who lost art to Hitler during WWII doesn't give up recovery efforts.