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Plunder and Survival
Stories of Theft, Loss, Recovery, and Migration of Nazi Uprooted Art
Plunder and Survival
Stories of Theft, Loss, Recovery, and Migration of Nazi Uprooted Art
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Description
Written by a Holocaust survivor whose family collected art, Plunder and Survival tells the stories of principal figures, events, and artworks that contribute to the intricate story of the ruthless Nazi attack on modern art and the art world's subsequent repositioning in America.
Each chapter focuses on a selection of artworks, the individuals who owned or acquired them, and those who decided their fate. Since the book spotlights Hitler's crusade against “degenerate” art, readers will encounter many Expressionist works, but they will also find old masters stolen by the Nazis and later restituted.
The author has also added a personal element to the text, incorporating autobiographical anecdotes on relatives' special relationships to art, their voyage from Germany to America, and the fate of their collections.
Illustrations appear throughout the book, and following the main text, two appendices offer a listing of 100 Nazi-stolen artworks currently housed in U.S. museums and capsule biographies of people discussed in the book.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Growing Up with Art in Pre-World War II Germany
2. German Expressionist Art Finds Its Champions
3. The Nazis Cleanse Their Museums
4. Hitler's Sales Force
5. The Lucerne Auction and Other Sales
6. Austria: Ripe for Plunder
7. Émigré Art Dealers and Their Artists
8. Artists In Exile: Adieu, Europe, Hello, America
9. Two-Faced France
10. Holland: A Good Country Confronts Evil
Appendix A: A Treasury of Looted and Migrant Works in US Museums
Appendix B: Selected Cast of Characters
Product details
| Published | 16 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 240 |
| ISBN | 9781538194232 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 25 full-colour illustrations, 2 tables |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Loebl has produced an in-depth art-historical examination of a dark time for European culture. Plunder and Survival represents a significant addition to our understanding of how and why the rapacious Nazis sought to erase art and artists they didn't like.
Art New England
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As a Holocaust survivor, Loebl's writing displays a deep degree of sensitivity and level of poignancy. Readers are swept along as the author shares what happened, painting by painting, starting with the theft and then looking at a great many of the pieces that were recovered and restored to their rightful owners. . . . The writing is crisp throughout, and each segment about a piece of art brings us deftly into the next one.
Jewish Book Council
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A work that stands out from the immense and ever-growing shelf of World War II literature. . . . A rich portrait of the fate of art-and artists-in the shadow of Hitler.
Kirkus Reviews
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A unique and extraordinary contribution to the growing library of Holocaust related histories and accounts . . . An informative, engaging, and simply fascinating read from start to finish.
Midwest Book Review
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Suzanne Loebl weaves her own fascinating and unique family history into a narrative that is as compelling as it is detailed. Plunder & Survival is a must-read and will undoubtedly change the way we look at the art looted by the Nazi regime.
June Beallor, Founding Executive Director, USC Shoah Foundation Oscar®, Emmy®, and Peabody Award-winning Filmmaker
ONLINE RESOURCES
Bloomsbury Collections
This book is available on Bloomsbury Collections where your library has access.
























