Leo Martínez
Johannes Vermeer was a 17th-century Dutch painter, considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Vermeer's paintings, including Girl with a Pearl Earring and Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, were highly sought after by Nazi leaders such as Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during World War II. While some of Vermeer's paintings were hidden or fell into the hands of the Soviets during the war, others were forged and sold to the Nazis by Han van Meegeren, a master forger. After the war, Göring attempted to hide his stolen paintings, but they were discovered by the 101st Airborne in the Bavarian Alps.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Vermeer's paintings being hidden during World War 2 | Vermeer's "Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window" fell into the hands of the invading Soviets during World War 2 and was returned in 1955. |
| During World War 2, Vermeer forgeries were sold to Nazi leaders, including Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, by Han van Meegeren. |
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What You'll Learn
Vermeers in the possession of Nazis
During World War II, the Nazis went on a quest to acquire ""lost" Vermeer paintings. One such painting, "Christ with the Adultress", hung behind the desk of Hermann Goering, Hitler's Vice Chancellor and an avid art collector. Goering treasured the painting, only to find out two years after the war that it was a forgery created by Han van Meegeren.
Van Meegeren was a 20th-century Dutch painter who worked in the classical tradition. He became a master forger, creating and selling many new "Vermeers". He chose Vermeer as the target of his forgeries due to the rarity of Vermeer paintings, which made them highly coveted by collectors. Van Meegeren also took advantage of the tumultuous times, as many museums hid their masterpieces or shipped them away for safekeeping, making it harder for experts to compare his fraudulent paintings to authentic Vermeers.
Van Meegeren's forgeries were so convincing that they fooled Abraham Bredius, one of the most acclaimed art historians of the time. Bredius described one of van Meegeren's paintings, "The Supper at Emmaus", as "a hitherto unknown painting by a great master". Van Meegeren's deception even extended to his use of revolutionary ageing techniques to make his paintings appear older. He would mix his paint with a synthetic resin rather than oil and bake the canvas in an oven to create cracks, mimicking the ageing process.
In 1945, van Meegeren's career came to an end when Allied Forces traced a Vermeer painting in the possession of Nazi Alois Miedl back to him. He was arrested and charged with collaborating with the Nazis by selling them cultural treasures. However, van Meegeren argued that he was a hero for fooling the Nazis into buying fakes. He claimed that his painting "Christ with the Woman Taken in Adultery" had been exchanged for close to 150 pieces from Göring’s stolen art collection. To prove his innocence, the court asked van Meegeren to paint one last Vermeer, "Jesus Among the Doctors", which he successfully recreated, further astonishing the court. Nonetheless, he was sentenced to prison for forgery and fraud.
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Vermeers forged during World War 2
Johannes Vermeer was a 17th-century Dutch painter who is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Vermeer produced relatively few paintings during his lifetime, primarily earning his living as an art dealer. He was not wealthy, and his wife was left in debt when he died. Vermeer's work often captured scenes of everyday life, alluded to the trends of his time, and was rich in symbolism.
During World War II, Vermeer's paintings became highly sought after by the Nazi Party. In the aftermath of the Allied victory, the Allied Art Office began to track down those responsible for allowing precious art to fall into Nazi hands. One of the nation's prized "Vermeers" ended up in the possession of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, a Nazi and avid art collector. Following the war, the forgery was discovered in Göring's art collection, and Hans van Meegeren was arrested as a German collaborator.
Van Meegeren was a 20th-century Dutch painter who worked in the classical tradition. He became a master forger, creating and selling many new "Vermeers". He took great care to employ only the materials and techniques that would have been used by 17th-century Dutch artists, making his forgeries difficult to detect. Van Meegeren sold his fake Vermeers to Nazi leaders, including Göring, who treasured a "Vermeer" that hung behind his desk.
After the war, Göring attempted to hide his stolen paintings, but they were discovered by the 101st Airborne in the Bavarian Alps. When Göring learned that his treasured "Vermeer" was a forgery, he was shocked. Van Meegeren had little choice but to confess to his crimes to avoid being charged with collaboration, and he was hailed as a hero for swindling Göring. The art world was thrown into disarray, and Van Meegeren was forced to paint another "Vermeer" under court supervision to prove his guilt.
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Vermeers plundered by Soviets
Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque Period painter known for his depictions of middle-class life in the Dutch Golden Age. Vermeer's paintings were highly sought after even during his lifetime, and they continue to be prized possessions in museums and galleries around the world.
During World War II, many of Vermeer's paintings were hidden to protect them from destruction. One such painting was "Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window", which was stored in a tunnel in Saxony, Germany. Despite these efforts, the painting was found and taken by the invading Soviet Red Army during their occupation of Dresden. The Soviets characterised this as a rescue operation, but others saw it as an act of plunder. This incident sparked debates about the ethics of cultural property and the role of art in diplomacy.
The Soviets refused to return the painting and other plundered artworks until 1955, two years after the death of Joseph Stalin. The delay in returning the paintings caused tension and negotiations between the Soviets and Germans, with some suggesting that the Germans should donate other paintings in exchange for the return of the plundered artworks.
The recovery and restoration of Vermeer's paintings, including "Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window", have revealed interesting insights into their history and provenance. For example, restoration work has uncovered a hidden Cupid figure in the top right-hand corner of the canvas, which was painted over by an unknown party decades after Vermeer's death. This discovery adds a new layer of interpretation to the painting's meaning and composition.
Vermeer's paintings continue to be the subject of fascination and study, with ongoing research and conservation efforts contributing to our understanding of his artistic genius and the historical context of his work.
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Vermeers saved from firebombing
Johannes Vermeer was a 17th-century Dutch painter who is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. He was a master of light and shadow, often painting domestic scenes of middle-class life, and was particularly renowned for his masterful use of light and his attention to detail.
During World War II, Vermeer's painting "Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window" narrowly escaped destruction in the firebombing of Dresden. The painting depicts a contemplative scene of a girl reading a letter, with a hidden Cupid standing in a framed portrait on the wall behind her. This painting was one of only 36 of Vermeer's original 45 or so paintings to survive.
After the firebombing, the painting fell into the hands of the invading Soviets, who refused to return it until 1955. In the years since, conservators have used advanced techniques such as X-ray, infrared reflectography imaging, and microscopic analyses to examine the underlying layers of the painting and restore it to its original state.
Vermeer's work has had a significant influence on other artists, both during his lifetime and in the centuries since. Several prominent Dutch artists modelled their style on his work, including Simon Duiker, Wilhelm Hammershoi, and Thomas Wilmer Dewing. In the 20th century, Salvador Dalí celebrated Vermeer in his own unique way, pitting large copies of "The Lacemaker" against a rhinoceros in some surrealist experiments.
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Vermeers recovered by the Allies
Many of Vermeer's paintings were hidden during World War II, as the artist's work was highly sought-after by the Nazis. In particular, Vermeer's "The Astronomer" and "The Art of Painting" were intended to be focal points of Hitler's Führermuseum in Linz, Austria. These two paintings, along with thousands of other artworks, were stored in the Altaussee salt mine in Austria.
On May 17, 1945, Allied forces entered the salt mine and recovered all the artworks, including Vermeer's "The Astronomer" and "The Art of Painting". Gauleiter August Eigruber had attempted to destroy the mine and its contents, but his orders were not carried out. Instead, the local mine administration, repository officers, and miners removed the embedded bombs from the mine and blew up the major entrances to prevent further access.
Among the artworks recovered by the Allies was a forged Vermeer, "Christ with the Adulteress", which had been sold to the Nazis by Han van Meegeren, a notorious forger. Van Meegeren had sold several forgeries to the Nazis, including Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, who treasured a Vermeer forgery as one of his favourite paintings. When the Allies discovered the painting in Göring's stash of art treasures in the Bavarian Alps, they began to investigate its origins. Based on the confession of Nazi banker and art dealer Alois Miedl, the painting was traced back to Van Meegeren, who was arrested and charged with fraud and aiding and abetting the enemy.
Another Vermeer painting, "Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window", narrowly escaped destruction during World War II. The painting survived the firebombing of Dresden but was then plundered by the invading Soviets, who refused to return it until 1955.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Vermeer's paintings were sought after by the Nazis. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, Hitler's Vice Chancellor, owned a "Vermeer", which was later discovered to be a forgery by Han van Meegeren.
Vermeer's paintings were not intentionally hidden during World War 2, but some were lost during the war. One of his paintings, "Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window", was nearly destroyed during the firebombing of Dresden but survived.
Yes, some of Vermeer's paintings were found after World War 2. "Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window" was recovered in 1955, having been plundered by the Soviets during the war.
Yes, Vermeer's painting "Concert" was stolen in 1990 and has not been recovered.
