Lost Lives, Lost Art: Jewish Collectors, Nazi Art Theft, and the Quest for Justice [Hardcover]

Melissa Muller (Author), Monika Tatzkow (Author), Ronald S. Lauder (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2010

The legendary names include Rothschild, Mendelssohn, Bloch-Bauer—distinguished bankers, industrialists, diplomats, and art collectors. Their diverse taste ranged from manuscripts and musical instru­ments to paintings by Old Masters and the avant-garde. But their stigma as Jews in Nazi Germany and occupied Europe doomed them to exile or death in Hitler’s concentration camps. Here, after years of meticulous research, Melissa Müller (Anne Frank: The Biography) and Monika Tatzkow (Nazi Looted Art) present the tragic, compelling stories of 15 Jewish collectors, the dispersal of their extraordinary collections through forced sale and/or confiscation, and the ongoing efforts of their heirs to recover their inheritance. For every victory in the effort to return these works to their rightful heirs, there are daunting defeats and long court battles. This real-life legal thriller follows works by Rembrandt, Klimt, Pissarro, Kandinsky, and others. 


Praise for Lost Lives, Lost Art: 

“A heartbreaking and enthralling story of the brutal and mindless Nazi destruction of a singularly cultivated caste of rich German and Austrian Jews and the pillage of their great art collections: a world that was lost and could never be recreated.” ~ Louis Begley

"Each chapter focuses on a single collector. . . the adulatory profiles [are] matched with an attractive layout and an abundance of well-selected images." ~ Wall Street Journal 

"The book is meticulously researched, brilliantly and dispassionately written, and is in all likelihood a game changer in the world of art, art provenance, and art restitution that will resound for years to come."~ ForeWord Reviews

"Richly illustrated with excellent art reproductions and family photographs, this is a solid addition to works on Nazi art plundering and the world of art restitution, ownership, and property rights. This will be of great interest to readers wanting to know more about upper-class Austrian and German Jews. Recommended." ~ Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Melissa Müller wrote the bestselling Anne Frank: The Biography, and is coauthor with Traudl Junge of Until the Final Hour: Hitler’s Last Secretary, which was the basis for the film Downfall.

 

Monika Tatzkow, a historian, is coauthor of the restitution-case handbook Nazi Looted Art.

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vendome Press; First Edition edition (November 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865652635
• ISBN-13: 978-0865652637
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not in good faith December 6, 2010

By wogan TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This book presents the story of 15 art collectors that had their property confiscated during WWII by high ranking German officials. Most probably assume that reparations have been made to all who had property taken; but the Allied governments concentrated on art stolen from museums. Families are still trying to acquire the works that were stolen from them.

Fifteen families are highlighted in this effort. The story of the attempts to retrieve their stolen family collections is described, from the acquisition; including their family history and what happened to them in WWII and since. Photos of the family, as well as the art and reproductions of relevant documents are shown.
The book is part picture and part story. All scenarios are well investigated and especially the solving of the mysteries as to what has happened to the works since the war

This is a mystery, a thriller, especially since many of this art was assumed to be destroyed during the war. A historical-legal commentary sums up the situation today: " it is still up to the claimants themselves to take the initiative, to undertake costly and time-intensive research, to conduct restitution negotiations that may drag on for years....".
This is a book that both those interested in art and the lingering consequences of WWII would find interesting.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-read on Human Rights, History and the Arts December 14, 2010

By D. Schoeberlein

Format:Hardcover

Immaculately researched, with exquisite photos, this readable volume focuses on the people who lives - and art - were stolen by the Nazis as well as continuing efforts to return looted art to families of pre WWII owners. It is a compelling account of atrocities and heartbreak, and most of all, the ongoing search for justice. Told with respect for the past, the book also presents clear-sighted consideration of modern-day art restitution issues. Nothing is superfluous, and each detail is carefully presented. The book is as intricate as the looted treasures it highlights, and the treatment by authors, editors and publisher is masterful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous book! September 16, 2011

By David in Telluride, Colorado

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a wonderful book covering 15 separate stories involving people and places connected with Nazi-looted art. The authors, Melissa Mueller and Dr. Monica Tatzkow, are from Germany, and the first version of the book was published in Germany. This is a recent English version from Vendome Press, and it couldn't be more interesting, or the photos more beautiful, even haunting.

On the cover, the "Golden Adele" purchased for $135 million dollars by Ronald Lauder for his Neue Gallery in NYC of German and Austrian art. (Worth a stop when you're in New York!) At the time, the most paid for a single painting ever. This was part of a series of Gustav Klimt paintings recovered from Austria for the late Maria Altmann in Los Angeles, who was the heir to these treasures, stolen by the Nazis in WWII. Maria's attorney, Randolph Schoenberg of Los Angeles, in recovering her art from Austria, set an important precedent at the U.S. Supreme Court with this case. Interestingly, Mr. Schoenberg is the grandson or great-grandson of Arnold Schoenberg, renowned music composer, and visual artist. The several Klimts recovered by Mr. Schoenberg for Mrs. Altmann brought over $300 million at auction when they were sold after their recovery. In the world of fine art and Holocaust Era claims, the Altmann case set a major precedent, allowing a U.S. citizen to bring an action against a foreign sovereign gov't., as an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), here in the U.S. federal courts, for hording Nazi-looted art.

Also covered, the high profile Cassirer v. Kingdom of Spain case, where a family in California is trying to recover a priceless Impressionist masterpiece by Camille Pissarro, currently hanging at the Thyssen Museum in Madrid, Spain. (You can easily Google these cases, and read more about them -- fascinating.) The Cassirer's Pissarro was stolen by the Nazis from the Cassirer family in Germany in 1939, just before war broke out in Europe. Wonderful story, wonderful pictures. The Supreme Court in Washington recently ruled in favor of the Cassirer claim by denying review of a recent 9-2 "en banc" ruling at the Ninth Cir. Ct. of Appeals, allowing the case to finally proceed to trial at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Trial is currently scheduled for July 3, 2012. The Seattle-based law firm Davis Wright Tremaine represents the Cassirers in that case.

This is an unusually beautiful and well-written book, an oversized hardback with stunning cover art on the sleeve, and filled with wonderful photos of people, places and Nazi-looted art, something you could easily have as a conversation starter on your coffee table. Highly recommend.

David in Telluride