Slog - Comments on The Rape of Europa http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa Yesterday I saw a screening of the new documentary film The Rape of Europa, opening in Seattle next week. I can't believe this movie hasn't been made before. It tells the comprehensive story of the Nazi march on Europe—not through field battles, but battles for art. That picture is of a guard at the Louvre in 1939, standing in front of an empty frame that held a Veronese painting before the museum was evacuated on the eve of Hitler's invasion of Paris. There is plenty of eye-popping footage like this from the period: more than 6,000 paintings found hostage in... Copyright 2008 Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:05:12 -0800 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:05:21 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Gloria I loved this film. My boyfriend didn't quite understand when I told him I was close to tears several times through it.

]]> Gloria http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916282 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916282 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:22:23 -0800 Comment by Alphonse Quaint indeed. Precious little press went to the sacking of the National Museum of Iraw in Baghdad just after our invasion. Many many priceless artifacts were stolen, or destroyed to be sold as scrap.

]]> Alphonse http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916350 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916350 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:35:03 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi Hitler was an artist, not a good one, but it's an additional explanation for why he was so concerned with seizing important works.

I also like the story of Chiang Kai Shek fleeing mainland China with huge quantities of Chinese art in tow -- just barely managing to keep it out of Maoist hands.

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916408 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916408 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:49:14 -0800 Comment by Brakhage John Frankenheimer's 'The Train' with Burt Lancaster is a more action-packed version of this story, which you may also dig

]]> Brakhage http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916450 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916450 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:00:15 -0800 Comment by apttitle Saw this film sometime last year at Northwest film forum when the directors brought it for a screening. Pretty damned good film.

]]> apttitle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916606 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916606 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:42:44 -0800 Comment by Jessica Art still matters to invaders-- apparently now, as something to destroy.

]]> Jessica http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916623 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916623 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:47:58 -0800 Comment by korper I don't know if this is in the film or not, but it's also worth noting that at the end of the war the U.S. military trained & sent several people into former Nazi territory for the express purpose of recovering art. Hard to imagine them doing that now when they won't even provide soldiers with sufficient armor.

]]> korper http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916764 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c916764 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:30:15 -0800 Comment by Boomer in NYC Jen, I love you. Your posts are always, always interesting and wonderful.

]]> Boomer in NYC http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917022 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917022 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:49:11 -0800 Comment by Timothy Wind Here is an article about it in Smithsonian Magazine.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/monumental-mission.html

]]> Timothy Wind http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917217 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917217 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:44:20 -0800 Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball I read Nicholas's book years ago when it came out -- wonderful to know about the film! Thanks for the heads up.

]]> Jubilation T. Cornball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917395 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917395 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:44:57 -0800 Comment by what's boomer smokin' - and is he sharin'? @8 - Yikes!

]]> what's boomer smokin' - and is he sharin'? http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917396 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917396 Visual Art Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:45:14 -0800 Comment by Johnny A few years ago I was in Weimar, which was listed as a European Cultural Capital for that particular year. There was an exhibit of Third Reich art and Communist art that was very interesting to say the least. The Third Reich artwork was art that Hitler and other top-ranking Nazis had either commissioned or had given to them as gifts. They were prosaic, at best because Hitler had only certain themes that pleased him; primarily Germanic legends and art that portrayed him as a knight, shepherd, or contemplating nature. The only piece I found myself attracted to was a painting of a woman asleep on a beach with her sleeping cat curled up next to her. Now, the Communist art was interesting, too, but I won't go into that.

]]> Johnny http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917588 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c917588 Visual Art Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:11:39 -0800 Comment by harold hollingsworth I'm half way through the book that this is based on, didn't know a documentary had been created, looking forward to seeing it as well!

]]> harold hollingsworth http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c918603 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/01/the_rape_of_europa#c918603 Visual Art Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:05:21 -0800