http://blog.preservationnation.org/2014/02/24/man-behind-monuments-men-david-finley-roberts-commission/#.UwuarykJdVYy
http://www.nga.gov
Hello Everyone:
We're almost midway through March and I feeling confident that we can make our goal of 10,000 page views by April 1. While you're showing this blog some love, make sure you show the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank some love too by making a donation to
http://www.lafoodbank.org. Please designate your donation for RTKL/JAMA. Thanks.
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Monuments Men movie poster
forbes.com |
The recent release of the movie
Monuments Men, sparked an interest in the rescue of priceless artwork stolen by the National Socialist party and the Gestapo during the Second World War. During the war, valuable paintings, sculptures, and other works of art were stolen from museums, galleries, and private individuals and hidden away until the end of the conflict. The activities of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) branch of the U.S. Military were chronicled by Robert M. Edsel in his book,
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, told the story of a the most unlikely group of soldier-art historians, archivists, and librarians who were recruited to recover works of art during the post-war chaos. The book was recently brought to life, on screen starring George Clooney and Matt Damon. In her recent blog post for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Katherine Flynn, looks at the man behind "The Monument Men, " David Flynn the vice-chairperson of the Robert Commission (named for its chairperson Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts), his passion for art and preservation, the role he played in establishing the MFAA, and ultimately the retrieval and protection of priceless art.
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Ruins of the Church of Sant'Ignazio
Palermo, Italy
smithsonianmag.com |
World War II left the European and cultural communities in a very serious state of flux, at best, outright panic, at worst. In the center maelstrom and chaos visited upon academic artists, art historians, and museum professionals, the American Defense, Harvard (University) Group, established by the institution's faculty and personnel, began to collaborate with the American Council of Learned Societies to create a plan for protecting European cultural property. Then National Gallery of Art Director David Finley (1938-56) and Gallery Chairperson Supreme Court Chief Justice Harlan F. Stone led the call, in Washington D.C., for the establishment of a government organization to protect and conserve the priceless cultural property. In 1942, the Chief Justice and Mr. Finley took their proposal to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who, in turn, established the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in Europe. The Commission's purview was later expanded to include all combat zones. The president appointed Justice Owen J. Roberts as the Commission's chairperson, hence the name Roberts Commission.
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David Finley (r) with President Dwight Eisenhower (l)
preservationnation.org |
According to David A. Doheny, the author of
David Finley: Quiet Force for America's Arts, "Finley was maybe the greatest salesman of his generation, the greatest lobbyist." Mr. Doheny credits the National Gallery chairperson with the ability to convince high-ranking federal government officials, such as Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy and President Roosevelt, that protecting art and history in one of the global cultural epicenters was also the U.S. military's responsibilities. From the Commission's first meeting in August 1943 to its last in June 1945, the Roberts Commission maintained the National Gallery's and it's founding benefactor Andrew W. Mellon's mission, who donated his personal collection and built a massive endowment to secure the Gallery's future.
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David Roberts in his office
nga.gov, |
The Roberts Commission worked with the Office of Strategic Services to create a special investigative unit to document German (mis) appropriation of art. Like the National Socialists, who made meticulous records of their wartime thefts, the MFAA officers and the Roberts Commission collected archival documents of German acts of aggression and Allied efforts to protect and repatriate stolen artwork. During the conflict, the National gallery provided support staff and office for the Roberts Commission and was very involved in its work. The Commission was rounded out by the Gallery's Secretary and General Counsel Huntington Cairn (secretary); Chief Curator and eventual successor to David Finley as director John Walker, who served as a special advisor.
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Capt. James Rorimer recovering artwork at Neuschwanstein Castle
cbsnews.com |
Katherine Flynn is quick to point out that
The Monuments Men, like all films, takes liberties with the history in the name of streamlining the narrative. For example. George Clooney's character, Frank Stokes, is based on the real-George Stout, an art conservator at Harvard University's Fogg Museum and did not establish the MFAA. Rather, he was recruited for the assignment by David Finley et al in the spring of 1944, as the war was coming to a close. In the photograph on the left, James Rorimer (James Granger in the movie played by Matt), is accompanied by Walter Hancock (John Goodman's character,the real-life sculptor Walter Garfield) and architect Robert Posey (re-named Richard Campbell, played by Bill Murray). Originally there were eleven men on the MFAA-seven Americans and four Brits-however, Ms. Flynn points out that there were many other military personnel working in the background.
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The original "Monument Men"
stylecourt.blogspot.com |
David A. Doheny writes, "It's easier for people, and certainly for film, to focus on blood and guts and bombs going off and action in the field rather than what does on in Washington behind the scenes...But bottom line, these guys never would have had a chance to do what they were doing if it hadn't been for Finley." David Finley was a man with many hats. As the first director of the National Gallery of Art, he was the driving force behind the creation of the National Portrait Gallery and the chair person of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. In addition to being an aesthete, David Finley was a practicing attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and served in the First World War. Late in life, Mr. Finley befriended First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, working together to preserve Lafayette Square and restore the art collection and furnishings at the White House. Despite David Finley's acclaim in his later life, Mr. Doheny considers his work with the Roberts Commission to be Mr. Finley's crowning achievement. "He needs all the publicity he can get...He kind of flew under the radar. He just wanted to get something done. That was the number secret to his success." David Finley passed away in 1977 and isn't portrayed in the movie. That's all good because you get the idea that he'd want it that way.
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