The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy To Steal The World's Greatest Works Of Art
Pillage is one of the traditional  perks of warfare. But it took Adolf Hitler to systematize the decimation and  despoiling of cultures, and it took Hector Feliciano seven years to track five  famous art collections stolen by the Nazis. He uncovered not only Nazi schemes  but also a well-oiled machine of collaborators, informants, moving companies,  and neighbors, all with their fingers in the pie.The Lost Museumreads  like a good detective story. Inspired by a fascination with the theft of five  prominent Parisian Jewish families' art collections, it focuses on the  beneficiaries of the thefts and justice for its victims. Filled with family  photos of the art, some never before seen by the public,The Lost Museumtracks the pieces as they passed through the hands of German officials,  unscrupulous art dealers, and unsuspecting auction houses. That the network was  so deviously intricate illustrates the enormous challenge of restitution.The relationship between Nazi higher-ups, keen to advance their own collections,  and non-Jewish dealers bodes well for the Parisian art scene. A Picasso for a  Titian; two classics for eleven late-19th-/early-20th-century moderns? Such  wheeling and dealing reduces art to tug-of-war commodities, and Feliciano'sThe Lost Museumat times seems to question nothing less than what art  serves, and who profits from it. If you like a good detective story and can  tolerate the frustration of justice impaired by greed, then this thoroughly  documented dark tale is for you.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.