Thank you to John Petrus for giving us this visual tour he created of an exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum of the masterpieces recaptured from the Nazis. You can also do a deep dive into the exhibit through this audio tour at the museum’s website.

From Cincinnati Art Museum Press Release:

“Paintings, Politics and the Monuments Men: The Berlin Masterpieces in America tells the story of how and why some of the world’s most iconic European paintings left Germany immediately after World War II and toured the United States in what became the first blockbuster art exhibition of our time. Walter Farmer, Cincinnati’s own “Monuments Man,” played a central role in this pivotal episode in the history of art and war.

During the final years of World War II, Allied forces endeavored to protect artworks, archives and monuments of historical and cultural significance across Europe, and they worked to return works looted by the Nazis to their rightful owners in the postwar period. These efforts were led by the “Monuments Men,” the men and women of the Monuments, Fine Art, and Archives program, established in 1943 under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied armies. Their ranks included museum curators, art historians, and others trained to identify and care for works of art.

Read more in the description of this video.