Hermann Göring and the Nazi Art Collection

During World War II, the Nazis plundered from occupied countries millions of items of incalculable value estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Spearheaded by Hermann Göring the looting program quickly created the largest private art collection in the world, exceeding the collections amassed by the Metropolitan in New York, the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris and the Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow.
By the end of the war, the Nazis had stolen roughly one-fifth of the entire art treasures of the world. This book explores the formation of the Nazi art collection and the methods used by Göring and his party to strip occupied Europe of a large part of its artistic heritage.

Kenneth D. Alford is an internationally known historical consultant for television productions that involve Nazi looting, and is the author of several books. Retired from a career in banking, he lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Kenneth D. Alford
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 269
Bibliographic Info: 96 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6815-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8955-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v

Preface      1

1. Göring’s Life Summary      3

2. Prewar Art      15

3. Göring’s Personal Staff      19

4. Art Dealers in Germany      27

5. The Annexation of Austria      39

6. The Invasion of Poland      45

7. Einsatzstab Rosenberg in France      48

8. Art Dealers in France      61

9. The Art Market in Holland      72

10. Art Dealers in Holland      75

11. The Art Market in Belgium and Luxembourg      95

12. The Art Market in Italy      101

13. Art Dealers in Italy      .      105

14. The Art Market in Switzerland      115

15. Art Dealers in Switzerland      117

16. Göring’s War Wealth      124

17. The Flight from Berlin      128

18. Göring’s Capture      137

19. The U.S. Acquires the Hermann Göring Art Collection      146

20. The Missing Paintings      154

21. Munich Collection Point      162

Conclusion      181

Appendices

A. Items Taken from Hermann Göring at Nuremberg      183

B. Emmy, Edda, and Hermann Göring’s Jewelry      185

C. Paintings and Sculptures, by Artist      190

D. Books, Photographs, Dishes, Silver, etc      233

E. Objets d’Art      235

F. Correspondence Regarding the Reported Finding of the Missing Renders Collection Memling Painting Madonna and Child      247

Chapter Notes      250

Bibliography      257

Index      259

“Recommended”—Choice; “a focused study on a major perpetrator of Nazi looting…recommended”—Art Libraries Society of North America; “offers a history of the methods used by the Third Reich to strip the occupied European countries of the artistic heritage during WWII”—Reference & Research Book News.