Isabella Flores
Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945, was a painter in his youth. He failed to get into Vienna's Academy of Fine Arts and was rejected twice. Hitler confiscated thousands of artworks, particularly from Jewish families, and collected them for a proposed Führermuseum in Linz, Austria. The Hermann Göring collection, a personal collection of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, Hitler's right-hand man, was another large collection that included confiscated property and consisted of approximately 50% of artworks confiscated from the enemies of the Reich. From the end of 1940 to the end of 1942, Göring travelled 20 times to Paris, where he selected at least 594 pieces for his collection. The Nazis plundered cultural property from Germany and every occupied territory, stealing gold, silver, currency, paintings, ceramics, books, and religious treasures. Many artworks looted by the Nazis were recovered by the Allies' Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) following the war, but many are still missing or were returned to countries but not their original owners.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of paintings stolen by the Nazis for Hitler | An estimated one-fifth of all art in Europe, including over 5 million cultural objects before 1945 |
| Hitler's motivation for stealing art | Hitler wanted to fill his museum with the greatest art treasures in the world, and believed that most of the world's finest art belonged to Germany. |
| Types of art stolen | Paintings, sculptures, tapestries, furniture, and other cultural items of great significance |
| Countries from which art was stolen | Germany and other occupied European countries, including Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Austria |
| Owners of the stolen art | Jewish individuals and families, art collectors, museums, and galleries |
| Nazi officials involved in art looting | Heinrich Hoffman, Ernst Buchner, Karl Haberstock, Walter Hofer, Hermann Göring, and Theodor Fischer |
| Organisations involved in art looting | Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), headed by Alfred Rosenberg |
| Fate of the stolen art | Many artworks were recovered by the Allies' Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA); however, many are still missing or were returned to countries but not to their original owners. |
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What You'll Learn
Hitler's Führermuseum
Hitler wanted to fill his museum with the greatest art treasures in the world. He believed that most of the world's finest art belonged to Germany after having been looted during the Napoleonic and First World Wars. The purpose of the Führermuseum was to display a selection of the art bought, confiscated, or stolen by the Nazis from throughout Europe during World War II. Many of the artworks looted by the Nazis were designated for the Führermuseum and were confiscated and collected for Hitler. The Hermann Göring collection, a personal collection of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, was another large collection that consisted of approximately 50% of works of art confiscated from the enemies of the Reich.
Hitler's chief advisor, Hans Posse, was appointed to take charge of the Sonderauftrag Linz (Special Project Linz) on June 26, 1939. Within a year of his appointment, Posse had obtained over 800 paintings. By 1941, Posse's mission was aligned with the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) confiscations, and by the time of his death in 1942, he had acquired about 1,200 paintings. Hermann Voss succeeded Posse as Director of the Dresden Gemaldegalerie and head of the Sonderauftrag Linz.
Hitler had conceived of having his dream museum in his "hometown" of Linz, Austria, after the Anschluss with Austria. He wanted to make the city more beautiful than Budapest, so it would be the most beautiful on the Danube River, as well as an industrial powerhouse and a hub of trade. The expected completion date for the project was 1950, but neither the Führermuseum nor the cultural centre it was to anchor were ever built. The only part of the plan that was constructed was the Nibelungen Bridge, which still stands today.
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Hermann Göring's collection
Hermann Göring, one of the most powerful Nazis, convicted of war crimes, had an extensive private art collection, known as the Kunstsammlung Hermann Göring. The collection was formed largely by looting Jewish property in Nazi-occupied areas between 1936 and 1945.
In 1936, Göring converted his hunting lodge in the Schorfheide region north of Berlin into a country house, the Waldhof Carinhall, where he exhibited the most important pieces of his collection in a 34-metre-long hall called the Grand Gallery. Initially, Göring financed his art collection with gifts from industrialists in exchange for favours. However, during World War II, he enriched himself through the plunder of Jewish art collectors, many of whom either fled or were deported to their deaths in Nazi camps.
Göring deployed his own organisation, the Devisenschutzkommando, in the occupied territories to confiscate art on his behalf. He also took advantage of the Nazi looting organisation, the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, headed by Alfred Rosenberg, which was originally formed to collect Jewish and Freemasonic books and documents. Göring issued an order in 1940 that changed the mission of the ERR to seize "Jewish" art collections and other objects. The Parisian museum Jeu de Paume was used as a warehouse for artworks seized from French Jews, and Göring visited it about twenty times between 1941 and 1944 to select artworks of especially high quality.
At the end of the war, Göring's personal collection included 1,375 paintings, many sculptures, carpets, furniture, and other artefacts. It is estimated that at least half of these artworks were obtained through Nazi looting efforts. Göring's art agent, Walter Andreas Hofer, assisted him in compiling his art collection from 1937 onwards and acted as director of the Göring Collection from 1939 to 1944. After the war, Hofer was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison by a military court, but this sentence was never carried out.
Many artworks from the Göring collection were recovered by the Allies' Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA), also known as the Monuments Men. However, some of these recovered paintings were given to the families of Nazis instead of being returned to the families of the looted Jewish collectors.
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Nazi plunder of Jewish property
Nazi plunder, or Raubkunst, refers to the organised theft of art and other items during the Nazi regime's occupation of Europe. This plunder began in 1933 with the looting of Jewish property in Germany, and it soon extended to other occupied territories. The Nazis stole from Jewish communities in a systematic manner, targeting cultural items of great significance, including paintings, ceramics, books, and religious treasures. Many of these artworks were confiscated and collected for Adolf Hitler, who planned to fill his museum with the world's greatest art treasures. This proposed museum, known as the Führermuseum, was to be established in Linz, Austria. Hermann Göring, Reichsmarschall and head of the ERR, also amassed a large personal collection of confiscated property, including over 2,000 individual pieces with more than 300 paintings.
The Nazis' looting of Jewish property was an integral component of the Holocaust. In addition to stealing artworks, they also seized homes, businesses, financial assets, musical instruments, books, and home furnishings. The dispossession of Jewish people was systematic and often involved organisations specifically created to identify and confiscate valuable public and private collections. The ERR, or Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce, was one of the primary agencies involved in the plunder of cultural artifacts in Nazi-occupied nations. The original purpose of the ERR was to collect Jewish and Freemasonic books and documents for destruction or removal to Germany. However, Göring later issued an order mandating the ERR to seize Jewish art collections and other objects as well.
Switzerland was a key destination for Nazi-looted assets, with many artworks being auctioned or sold privately to major collectors and museums. The most notorious auction of Nazi-looted art was organised by Theodor Fischer in 1939 at the Grand Hotel National in Lucerne, Switzerland. This auction included 126 "degenerate" artworks by modern masters like van Gogh and Matisse, many of which had been purged from German public institutions.
The Allies' Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA), also known as the Monuments Men and Women, recovered many of the looted artworks following the war. However, many artworks are still missing or were returned to countries but not to their original owners. Efforts to research and document the role of Switzerland and other countries as conduits for Nazi-looted assets are ongoing. Additionally, projects like the Jewish Digital Cultural Recovery Project (JDCRP) have been initiated to create databases of Jewish-owned art and cultural objects plundered by the Nazis, providing information on the current whereabouts of individual artifacts and details on persecuted Jewish artists.
The plunder of Jewish property in the Nazi-occupied areas of the Soviet Union had some distinct differences from other occupied territories. Due to the proximity of Jews and non-Jews in local communities, broad sections of the non-Jewish population also participated in the plunder. Additionally, the concept of "private property" in a communist state differed from that in capitalist countries occupied by Nazi Germany, leading to jurisdictional disputes among various German authorities over confiscated Jewish property.
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Art dealers and buyers for Hitler
Hitler's art dealers and buyers played a significant role in his plan to fill a museum with the world's greatest art treasures. Hitler believed that most of the world's finest art belonged to Germany and wanted to establish a European Art Museum in Linz. This museum was to be filled with artworks confiscated or purchased from occupied territories, as well as pieces deemed "degenerate art" by the Nazi regime.
One of Hitler's most prominent art dealers was Hildebrand Gurlitt, who was appointed by the Commission for the Exploitation of Degenerate Art in 1936. Gurlitt, who was part Jewish, had a fondness for modern art, which the Nazis had banned. He became one of four official art dealers named by Göring and Hitler to trade in modern art, also known as "degenerate art". Gurlitt was successful in concealing his role in Nazi looting and built a respectable career in postwar Germany as an art association director and exhibition manager. He closed thousands of art deals for the Nazis, purchasing artworks for Hitler's planned Führermuseum and for his own personal collection.
Another key figure in Hitler's art acquisition was Hermann Göring, who controlled the ERR (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg), an organization formed to seize Jewish art collections and other objects. Göring assembled a large personal collection, including over 2,000 individual pieces, with approximately 50% of the works being confiscated from the enemies of the Reich. He appointed art dealers, such as Gurlitt, to acquire French art assets for Hitler's museum.
In addition to Gurlitt and Göring, there were other individuals involved in art looting for Hitler. Heinrich Hoffman, Hitler's chief photographer and art adviser, and Karl Haberstock, a Berlin art dealer who purchased and sold artworks for Hitler, were also interrogated for their roles in the systematic plunder of cultural property.
The Nazis plundered art from Jewish communities across Europe, targeting Jewish property in a systematic manner. Many artworks were confiscated from collectors and artists who were Jewish, while others were taken because they did not conform to Hitler's narrow definition of Aryan art, which was representational and wholesome. The artworks looted by the Nazis were designated for Hitler's proposed Führermuseum in Linz, Austria, although many pieces ended up in the private collections of Nazi dignitaries.
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Looted art recovered after World War II
The Nazis stole and plundered a significant amount of art, including paintings, sculptures, and other cultural items, during World War II. The looting was systematic and targeted Jewish communities in particular, with many works seized directly from collectors and artists because they were Jewish. The Nazis also confiscated artworks that did not conform to Hitler's narrow definition of Aryan art, which he deemed to be representational and wholesome. These stolen artworks were intended for Hitler's proposed Führermuseum in Linz, Austria, which was never realized.
After World War II, the Allies, through their Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA), also known as the Monuments Men and Women, recovered thousands of artworks looted by the Nazis. These artworks were found in over 1,050 repositories in Germany and Austria. The MFAA played a crucial role in protecting and recovering artistic and cultural treasures, including those from museums, churches, and monuments. Their efforts ensured that these priceless artworks were not lost to destruction or plunder during the chaotic post-war period.
One notable recovery by the Monuments Men was the collection of Hermann Göring, a high-ranking Nazi official with a vast personal collection of confiscated art. The collection included over 2,000 individual pieces, with more than 300 paintings, many of which were confiscated from the enemies of the Reich. The recovery of Göring's collection was challenging, and the Monuments Men had to employ creative strategies, such as using white tape to mark storage places as off-limits to Allied troops.
Despite these efforts, many artworks looted by the Nazis have never been returned to their rightful owners. Some pieces were sold or traded during the war to fund Nazi activities, while others were hidden in salt mines, tunnels, and secluded castles, only to be discovered years later. The challenge of recovering these artworks persists due to the scattered nature of the plunder, with pieces ending up in various countries and private collections.
In recent years, there have been continued efforts to recover and restitute Nazi-looted art. Organizations such as the Monuments Men Foundation and the Commission for Art Recovery have played crucial roles in this process. Additionally, art dealers, galleries, and museums worldwide have been compelled to research the provenance of their collections to identify any stolen or looted artworks. These ongoing efforts reflect a commitment to justice and the preservation of cultural heritage.
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Frequently asked questions
It is difficult to give an exact number, but it is estimated that the Nazis stole one-fifth of all art in Europe, or over 20% of Europe's art, before 1945. This included approximately 16,000 pieces of "degenerate art" removed from German public institutions, as well as artworks confiscated from Jewish collectors and artists.
The Nazis favoured classical portraits and landscapes by Old Masters, particularly those of Germanic origin. They dubbed modern art, including Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism, Expressionism, and Impressionism, as "`degenerate art"` and worked to remove it from museums and institutions.
Some of the stolen paintings were earmarked for Hitler's proposed Führermuseum in Linz, Austria, while others were traded to fund Nazi activities or went to other high-ranking officials such as Hermann Göring. Many of the paintings were recovered by the Allies' Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) after the war, but some are still missing or were returned to countries but not to their original owners.
