Bronzes to bullets
Subtitle: Vichy and the destruction of French public statuary, 1941-1944
By: Kirrily Freeman.
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Stanford, Calif
Language: eng
Number of pages: 246
ISBN-13: 9780804758895
Subjects: Bronze -- War use -- France; World War, 1939-1945 -- Destruction and pillage -- France; World War, 1939-1945 -- Economic aspects -- France; Public sculpture, French -- 20th century; Art and state -- France -- History -- 20th century; Art and society -- France -- History -- 20th century; France -- History -- German occupation, 1940-1945
Description: Details the process between October 1941 and August 1944 whereby French cities, towns, and villages lost most of their public bronze statuary. Conservative estimates are between 1,527 and 1,750 decorative and commemorative monuments in the public domain were removed and destroyed to foster German munitions factories for Hitler's war machines. War memorials and monuments on church property are excluded in this study.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The economics of exploitation; title: "An important source of metal" : the context of Vichy's metal "mobilization"; title: "The union of art and industry" : Vichy's bronze "mobilization" campaign; title: The politics of patrimony; title: "The expression of us all, young and old" : public perceptions of the bronze mobilization campaign; title: "Pedestals dedicated to absence" : the symbolic impact of the bronze mobilization campaign; title: Conclusion : "the 'Saint-Bartholomew' of statues"? : the bronze mobilization campaign in French memory and historiography.