Rescuing Da Vinci uses 460 photographs to tell the "untold story of the 'Monuments Men'" and their discovery of more than 1,000 repositories filled with millions of items including paintings, sculptures, furniture, archives and other treasures stolen during WWII by Adolph Hitler and the Nazis. Rescuing Da Vinci includes photographs of Hitler designing the Fuhrer Museum, along with photographs of the extraordinary measures taken by museum officials in Europe to protect their masterpieces from the Nazis' planned looting. Ultimately, Hitler and the Nazis' unprecedented theft of Europe gave way to the greatest treasure hunt in history, the search for art and other treasures valued at more than a trillion dollars! The Allies created a special force known as Monuments, Fine Art and Archives Section comprised of museum directors, curators and art historians- men and women from more than 15 nations who spent more than six years locating, rescuing and then returning these treasures to the countries from which they were stolen. Efforts to locate and return missing artwork continue to this day.
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Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
From The Wall Street Journal, Dec 15, 2006:
"Mr. Edsel has collected hundreds of photographs documenting the extent of the Nazis' looting and the Allies' efforts to protect or rescue art treasures. We see Goering's private museum of stolen masterpieces, American soldiers recovering Leonardo's "Lady With an Ermine" and Rembrandt's rolled-up "Night Watch" being transported across Holland to safety. Particularly memorable is a photograph of the massive "Winged Victory" sculpture in the Louvre being lowered down the museum steps with ropes and pulleys before to its evacuation in advance of the Nazi invasion. One shudders with gratitude -- for the fact that the piece survived the war and for a book that reminds us of what is at stake when the enemies of civilization seize power."
From The Chicago Tribune, Dec 3, 2006:
"Rescuing Da Vinci by Robert M. Edsel...is a crime story, writ so large it covers a continent. It gathers together, for the first time, nearly 500 photos documenting the Nazi theft of tens of thousands of artworks from European museums and private collections. And it details the immense, painstaking, though little-recognized, efforts of Allied armies to recover and return these precious items."
About the Author
Robert M. Edsel began his career in the oil & gas business. While living in Europe in 1996, he developed an interest in the looting and rescuing of artworks during WWII. He has spent the last three years researching this subject. Mr. Edsel is an author, film producer, lecturer and investor who resides in Dallas, Texas.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By Paula
Format:Hardcover
It's hard to imagine why this EXTRAORDINARY story about EXTRAORDINARY men (and women) is just now being revealed to a mass audience. As a civilization, we owe the salvation of our culture to the efforts of the heroes in "Rescuing Da Vinci." HATS OFF TOO to Mr. Edsel for his vision of putting forth the greatest "untold" story of WWII in a brilliantly assembled book. It is the PERFECT gift for members of the "Greatest Generation," art collectors, war buffs, museum buffs or any thinker. The breathtaking pictures make it a superb gift for photographers, designers, architects and the like. Plus, I've discovered it's a wonderful "conversation piece" for my coffee table!
49 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
You could be forgiven for dismissing this book, if you only went by titles, as just another book that is cashing in on the Da Vinci myth in concert with a patriotic nostalgia for the Second World War as a time of moral absolutes. You would be wrong. The photographs are superb, many published for the first time, and the accompanying text is precise,jargon free and direct. Robert Edsel may, as he says, be obsessed with the subject but his approach is measured and clear. I am an English fine art academic and heard of this book via a small article in an English newspaper and was sufficiently intrigued to order the book from Amazon in the US (it is not available in Great Britain). I have recommended it to many of my friends (not something to do lightly) as it compliments and extends, visually, much of the existing literature on the subject of art theft.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
An effective pictorial survey of the cultural crimes waged by Germany during World War II.
That much plundered European art was found, protected and returned to rightful owners by the U.S. military in these difficult days is a bright star in our nation's history. Mr. Edsel has delivered a fitting tribute to the many U.S. and British art experts, and others, who volunteered to do what was possible to make aright the unpardonable cultural crimes committed by the Nazis.
That much plundered European art was found, protected and returned to rightful owners by the U.S. military in these difficult days is a bright star in our nation's history. Mr. Edsel has delivered a fitting tribute to the many U.S. and British art experts, and others, who volunteered to do what was possible to make aright the unpardonable cultural crimes committed by the Nazis.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING SIDE TO WW2
The real story about this alternative heros. great images, well documented. Just found out it will be a movie this year. Will not miss it.
Published 2 months ago by Eduardo Galatzan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magical, inspiring, sobering.
This book is an education in art, an education in World War Two and a sharp refresher on the depravity and bravery that stood shoulder to shoulder in so many parts of Europe during... Read more
Published 2 months ago by schristensen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Educational Extension for Even Elementary
After seing the Rape of Europa documentary, I investigated books on the subject and have subsequently purchased Monument's Men. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gigi Carlson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent coffee table style book.
Living in Europe, I often wonder how such beautiful artwork survived WWII. This books answers this question with great detail and is fascinating to both read. Read more
Published 2 months ago by RC
5.0 out of 5 stars
ALSO, WATCH THE MOVIE: THE RAPE OF EUROPA
Not only is this a scholarly presentation of the events of World War II, complete with photographs to remind the World of the horrors of those events as well as the heroic efforts... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Fabulous
5.0 out of 5 stars
History we need to know
The history coved in this book is something that most people donot know about. It is hard to understand how one group of people could feel that they could pick what art was good... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Bumble
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nobody Does It Better
With Thirty two reviews, I have only one thing to say.
Buy Rescuing da Vinci! The Author has treated the subject
well and presented us with magnificent pictures.
Buy Rescuing da Vinci! The Author has treated the subject
well and presented us with magnificent pictures.
Published 23 months ago by Bookworm70
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Little Known Story!
This book was fascinating. I'm an avid lover of Art History and thought I knew a lot about Art. How wrong I was!. Most of what was in these pages I never knew. Read more
Published on April 21, 2011 by Tiger Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting reading and great photos
This book reveals how art was protected in WWII. Having been to some of the world's great museums, it is very interesting to read about and see the photos of the efforts to protect... Read more
Published on September 6, 2010 by chhknoxville
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Spectacular Book
This is very, very special--a 300 pp. picture book, illustrating the theft, storage and recovery of thousands of masterpieces of European art. Read more
Published on January 25, 2010 by Richard B. Schwartz
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