A Nation's Purpose

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Lt. General Omar N. Bradley, Lt. General George S. Patton, Jr. and
General Dwight D. Eisenhower inspect the Stolen Paintings
Stored in the Merkers Mine on April 12, 1945.
Also pictured in the center is Major Irving Leonard Moskowitz.
(National Archives and Records Administration)

Times have certainly changed and sometimes it is refreshing to look backwards to a time when the protection of important artworks was paramount to the government.

The movie, The Monuments Men, is an interesting look at the work of a group of men and women serving in the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section established in 1943 of the Allied armies. They came from thirteen nations, most volunteering and most with expertise in the arts as curators, museum directors, artists, archivists and architects. Regardless of some inaccuracies in the film, it serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding civilization’s cultural and artistic treasures and of the heroes who have sacrificed their lives to do so.

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