What the Monuments Men Did for Me (and You too!)

Looking for an excuse to lounge on the couch today and try to finish an afghan, I looked for a movie to watch. Much to my surprise, I found The Monuments Men available for viewing in my 'on demand' options. Being the history junkie that I am (no surprise that I - a member of the DAR - am a history junkie!) I immediately selected the movie and settled back on the couch. What seemed like mere moments later, the movie was over! (but, alas, my afghan is still not done.)

I was immediately intrigued by this story to recover art stolen by the Nazis for Hitler. While I realize that there are inaccuracies in any historical drama of this nature, the fact is that the Monuments Men did exist - they were real men and women seeking to restore the art, culture and even soul of European nations who had been plundered and pillaged in many humiliating way during the war.

It was incredible to think that the efforts of the Monuments Men resulted in the discovery and return of more than five-million art and cultural pieces stolen by Hitler and the Nazis. The sheer volume of items recovered - amazing. The unknown number of items still missing? Wow...just thinking about this massive theft across all Europe is mind-boggling.

I was surprised to learn that The Monuments Men Foundation exists even today, recognizing that many works are still missing; not all of the missing are believed to have been destroyed.

As the movie concluded, I found myself searching for an old journal. In that journal, I had documented my daily encounters, observations, meals - and art viewed - when I was in Europe the summer before starting college. How many of the works and artists that I fell in love with, wrote about, purchased prints and seared into my memory even today would I have missed were it not for the Monument Men? Would that trip have even meant as much to me today without the omnipresent art in those beautifully historic European museums?

At the end of The Monuments Men, George Clooney's character is asked will anyone remember years from now (i.e., 1945) that men died for a piece of art - will it matter. Clooney's character said yes. I wholeheartedly agree.