Overview

Written by a Holocaust survivor whose family collected art, Plunder and Survival tells the stories of principal figures, events, and artworks that contribute to the intricate story of the ruthless Nazi attack on modern art and the art world’s subsequent repositioning in America. Each chapter focuses on a selection of artworks, the individuals who owned or acquired them, and those who decided their fate. Since the book spotlights Hitler’s crusade against “degenerate” art, readers will encounter many Expressionist works, but they will also find old masters stolen by the Nazis and later restituted. The author has also added a personal element to the text, incorporating autobiographical anecdotes on relatives' special relationships to art, their voyage from Germany to America, and the fate of their collections. Illustrations appear throughout the book, and following the main text, two appendices offer a listing of 100 Nazi-stolen artworks currently housed in U.S. museums and capsule biographies of people discussed in the book.

Full Product Details

9781538194225

Table of Contents

Reviews

As a Holo­caust sur­vivor, Loebl’s writ­ing dis­plays a deep degree of sen­si­tiv­i­ty and lev­el of poignan­cy. Read­ers are swept along as the author shares what hap­pened, paint­ing by paint­ing, start­ing with the theft and then look­ing at a great many of the pieces that were recov­ered and restored to their right­ful owners. . . . The writ­ing is crisp through­out, and each seg­ment about a piece of art brings us deft­ly into the next one. * Jewish Book Council * A unique and extraordinary contribution to the growing library of Holocaust related histories and accounts . . . An informative, engaging, and simply fascinating read from start to finish. * Midwest Book Review * A work that stands out from the immense and ever-growing shelf of World War II literature. . . . A rich portrait of the fate of art—and artists—in the shadow of Hitler. * Kirkus Reviews *

A rich portrait of the fate of art—and artists—in the shadow of Hitler... Powerfully, [Suzanne Loebl] gives readers a blunt reminder of how much art with dubious provenance remains in the galleries of our great museums. A work that stands out from the immense and ever-growing shelf of World War II literature. * Kirkus Reviews *

Author Information

Suzanne Loebl is the author of fourteen books, most recently America’s Medicis: The Rockefellers and Their Astonishing Cultural Legacy. She was born into an art-collecting family in Germany and escaped the Nazis as a teenager by hiding in Belgium. Her other books include America’s Art Museums: A Traveler's Guide to Great Collections Large and Small and a memoir on her experience during World War II, At the Mercy of Strangers: Growing Up on the Edge of the Holocaust. In 2012, Loebl received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She splits her time between New York and Maine. Abigail Wilentz has developed books on art, design, photography, fashion, lifestyle, and other topics as an editor at Universe Publishing, a division of Rizzoli International Publications, at Watson-Guptill Publications, and independently with agents and authors. She has written several books commissioned by publishers and directed a custom publishing line for the luxury fashion brand Brioni. She lives in Manhattan with her husband.

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