Last week, an essential piece of World War II history was auctioned at Christie’s in Paris. Around 1700, Nicolas de Largilliérre painted a bourgeoisie woman wrapped in lush red velvet sitting outside with a tree and rock cliff background. This is pretty much how I would look if I were also out in the wilderness, which won’t be happening.
We don’t know the early provenance of this painting, but in the early 1930s, it came into the possession of Henri de Rothschild. Eventually, it was passed to his son Philippe, who kept it at his winery in Bordeaux, the Chateau Mouton Rothschild. As Hitler moved through Europe, Philippe packed up his collection in November 1940 and placed it in the Societe General Bank in Arachon.
Many wealthy Jewish families in France thought their money would protect them during the war, but that was not the case. The three branches of the Rothschild family in Paris at the time had vast collections of art, much of which was at the top of Hitler’s wish list, including Vermeer’s Astronomer.
Sadly, money did not protect Philippe de Rothschild, and he was arrested in Algeria by the Vichy government. The Vichy government stripped him of his French citizenship, and his vineyard and collection were seized and shipped to the Jeu de Paume in Paris. My favorite, Rose Valland, watched over the German “gallery depot” where art was chosen for Hitler and Goring and carefully tracked each item at night in her volumes of ledgers.
In her book The Art Front, Rose Valland mentions that 1941 was “truly the Rothschild year” for the ERR. If they were going to steal the art of France, they would start with the best collections. The ERR did precisely that—they stole everything they could and arrested the family members.
Philippe was released on April 20, 1941, and left for London. Elisabeth, his wife, was sent to Ravensbruck Concentration camp, where she was killed. The only member of the prominent Jewish family to be killed by the Germans during the war.
At the Jeu de Paume, Rose Valland noted the paintings and their owner in her many ledgers, the German code given to each one, the crate and destination, and even the date and train they were shipped out on. Through her notes, the Allies knew which trains and routes to secure. She did this every day for the entire length of the war. They had no idea what this quiet, fantastic woman was doing. If they had known she would have been killed, they almost caught her twice.
The Rothschild’s collection was sent to King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria; ERR painting number R437 was stashed away until May 4, 1945, when Rose Valland’s notes led the Monuments Men directly to the castle to save the treasures of France. A year later, on May 3, 1946, it was back into the hands of the Rothschild family and remained until June 13, 1978, when it was sold to its current owner, who, like the model of the painting, is unknown.
Following the war, Valland’s notes were used to recover thousands of looted art and personal possessions taken from Jewish homes. She was sent to Italy and Germany to aid the Monuments Men in their recovery. The French government made her a Fine Arts Officer, and Italy, Germany, and the US awarded her.
Because of Rose Valland, more than 65,000 works of art were returned to Jewish families, museums, and galleries. Sadly, just as many, if not more, are still missing, and many sit in museums across France waiting to be returned to their rightful owners.
My love and respect for this woman and what she did is immense. She put her life on the line daily to protect the only thing left of many families and treasures of France. If it weren’t for her heroic act, hundreds of thousands of pieces of art and the property of thousands of Jewish families would have been lost to the Nazi greed forever.
The fact that this painting passed through the hands of Rose Valland is enough for me, but the painting is also well-known from a photograph.
On that day in May 1945, Sgt Tony Valim was on hand to assist James Rormier and the Monuments Men as they emptied the castle of its over 20,000 pieces of looted art. A photo was snapped with Sgt Valim holding the painting and Rorimer looking on. The image would be used on the cover of Robert Edsel’s fantastic book The Monuments Men and become the photo that defined the heroes who stepped into the most significant art heist in history.
I visited the painting last week at Christie’s, stood there, and thought about what and who she represents.
The auction occurred on November 21st and was estimated to sell for €50,000 to €80,000.
It sold for €529,200 by a private collector.
Just this week, the Monument’s Men Foundation released the first-ever English translation of Rose Valland’s book The Art Front. The translation took over three years, and the book was originally published in 1961 as Le Front de l’Art, Défense des collections Françaises 1939-1945.
The original version also includes a chronology and maps of art depots in Paris and France, but I may be the nerd who loves all those things.
You can purchase the book directly from the Monument’s Men and Women Foundation HERE for $45 and help support a fantastic organization dedicated to the many heroic stories of World War II. It is also available soon at Amazon.com HERE for $52.
While you are at it, please take a second to sign the petition to enter Rose Valland in the French Pantheon. We have a LONG way to go, and every signature helps if you can share it with everyone you know and everyone you don’t know. Pass people on the street, ask them too.
And when you do have the book, check out page XXV, you may find a name you know.
Last year, when the Monuments Men Foundation sent out a call for help in bringing this version to life, I couldn’t click fast enough. I was thrilled to be a part of it, even in the smallest way.
