Lynn H. Nicholas’ The Rape of Europa and an Unfamiliar Aspect of the Second World War
Book Review for EUH4465 with Dr. Bruce Pauley
10 March 2006
When Hitler, Nazi Germany or World War II is mentioned, many people think of propaganda, destruction, U-boats, or two-front warfare. One would not generally think the artwork of Cranach, Dürer or Vermeer. However, Lynn H. Nicholas’ The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasure in the Third Reich and the Second World War might change that immediate response. Nicholas details the tactics and resources used, both by the Nazis and the countries they conquered, to profit off of the lucrative art trade spawned by the war and also why there was a lucrative art trade spawned by the war. Though art history is often considered when dealing with a culture’s origins and different schools or time periods of thought, it is not widely discussed in regards to warfare, especially in a situation such as the Second World War, when so many other topics seem so much more important. Nicholas’ book is one of few belonging to the sub-section of art history within the history of Nazi Germany and World War II. This fact, however, should not make one ignore the vast array of books on World War II to focus solely on Nicholas’, but to consider The Rape of Europa within the greater context of academic research about Nazi Germany and the Second World War.
Nicholas was born in New London, Connecticut and received her BA from Oxford University. While she was in the United States, she worked at the National Gallery of Art. In 1980, when she was in Belgium, Nicholas began research for The Rape of Europa. This book inspired an international movement to locate and repatriate works of art that had been removed from their home countries by the Nazis and the trade that had sprung up during Second World War. Because of this repatriation of art works she was elected to Légion d’Honneur by the French Government. In 2003, ten years after publishing The Rape of Europe, Nicholas produced Cruel World: The Children of Europe in the Nazi Web through Random House, which was also a well received text.
The basic thesis within The Rape of Europa is that the entire chain of stealing, buying and smuggling of art in and out of counties was caused by greed and an opportunistic nature, on both the behalf of the Nazis, particularly Hitler and Goering, and the various non-Jewish art dealers within Europe. As Nicholas states in the chapter about the invasion of Holland, “Lives and Property,” “compromises of all sorts seemed possible, and there was no reason to forgo the enormous profits to be made at the expense of the enemy” (101). All of the events that are described within the text lead back to the idea that Hitler and his underlings believed they should have had access to all of the art treasures of the areas they conquered, especially if the works were even vaguely Germanic in origin or in order to remove and/or destroy “degenerate” art created by or depicting Jews or modern painters, and that a good portion of the conquered people saw no reason to give up the possibility of making money during a time that they thought it would be useful and even beneficial to their livelihoods, even as the Nazis rolled through country after country.
The Rape of Europa is laid out both chronologically as well as topically. While Nicholas does occasionally go forwards and backwards in time, the geographical area or ideology that is covered within the chapter does not change. The prologue, “They Had Four Years,” opens the text with an intriguing description of an art sale in Lucerne, Switzerland on 30 June 1939. The description of the sale itself, including comments made by the auctioneer as well the side information included about those attending the auction and their national status, followed by an explanation of how and why Germany purged its own collection provide a glimpse into what the text will focus upon and also show how well Nicholas is able to put together varying sources to compose a vivid scene. Also the way in which the Nazis purged their country of “degenerate” art foreshadows the ways in which other “degenerates,” either products or people, are disposed of. The image of Nazi book burnings are popular, but in this prologue, Nicholas also provides the rather distinctive image of “1,004 paintings and sculptures and 3,825 drawings, watercolors, and graphics” burning as a practice exercise for the Berlin Fire Department (25). The themes of greed and opportunism also appear in this prologue and do not disappear often from view in the following chapters.
Through the remainder of the text the invasion of Austria, Poland, Hollans, France, and Russia are covered with equal detail as is the Allied response and the defeat of Germany. The steps taken by France prior to the war in the hopes of protecting the national treasures of the Louvre were steps repeated by every country that not only feared to see warfare within its border but also occupation. Even America eventually had to take steps to secure its countries special pieces residing within the Tate, the Met and the Museum of Modern Art. The fact that all of these countries had to take the same steps at vary times is also pointed out by Nicholas, who specifically mentions the delay taken by each country and that had some step occurred earlier, it was possible a lot more could have been protected from the reach of the Germans.
Within The Rape of Europa a large amount of supplemental material is provided. Photographs of artwork referenced, as well those showing how both “degenerate” and safe guarded works were stored appear in useful places within the text. Maps are provided in sections where they are highly useful, for example, when the occupations of France and Poland are discussed. Also included as visual reference points are gallery listings, a variety forms that were used to label works as well as people, and schematics of various locations. Both a bibliography and an index are included in this volume as well as a proliferation of endnotes.
The audience that Nicholas writes towards is vaguely difficult to grasp. It seems as if she intends to focus on scholars who are familiar both with the Second World War and a large variety of artwork. Colloquialisms are used within the text and occasional slight digressions into the character of the subjects are discussed as well. The text does tread well between scholarly and more popular worlds, however. Although, and perhaps because, this is a topic that does not currently have a wide variety of books written in regards to it, Nicholas manages to interest a casual reader, but also provide a large amount of interesting factual information for academics. Overall, this is an interesting text that I would recommend to an interested intelligent but casual reader. It is possible that this book might not appeal to someone who already possesses a large amount of knowledge regarding World War II or Nazi goals and ideals, but it is a well written piece of work that does live up to the expectations raised within the first chapter.
Works Citied:
Lynn H. Nicholas, The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War. New York: Vintage Books, 1994. Pp. 2 – 367.
All contents copyright Elizabeth Tibbert 2006.