The Louvre during the War - exhibition of 56 photographs 1938

The Louvre during the War - Photographs 1938-1947

Jul 23rd, 2009 by apartmentblogger

We all know about the horrible happenings during the Second World War. Although the majority of the world population wasn’t born at that time, they know what had happened in the uncountable countries due to the terrible actions by the national socialists. We have all heard a lot about the Night of Broken Glass, the book burning, the censorship and oppression of the freedom of speech, etc. Art, an essential part of our society, had also been the victim of the Nazis, and not only in Germany, but also the art in the many other countries invaded by the German soldiers. Le Louvre, one of the most important museums in the world, is putting on a unique exposition of photography about the dark parts of world history: The Louvre during the war – Photographs 1938-1947.

Until the 31st of August, the Louvre, the most prestigious museum in the world of art, offers you a spectacular and at the same time shocking collection of photographs. It’s a kind of historical exposition about the activities of the Louvre during the horrible years of war between 1938 and 1947. There will be on show uncountable unpublished photographs which are real eye-witnesses of history. The Louvre shows the contemporary visitors its surprising side. The photographs of empty and plundered exhibition halls, sequestered works of art and creative master pieces of Jewish artists in the hands of the Nazis….will shock you.

When the national socialists took power in Germany in 1932, the museum directors became aware of the terrible future and so they established a list of the most important works of art which they wanted to evacuate in case of emergency. Hence, in 1938 two convoys with valuable pieces of art left the Louvre. On board as well was the famous Mona Lisa, which was at first taken to the Château de Chambord, then returned to the Louvre in Paris. After that it was taken back to the Château and it stayed there until 1945, when the Mona Lisa was finally returned to its origin in the Louvre, in the Château de Montal.

When in September 1939 France declared the war on Germany, an air raid bunker was built in the museum. During the fast German invasion of France, the museum reacted immediately so that they could evacuate more than three thousand works of art to many places in the provinces.

The Nazis, as well as Franco and Pétain, tried to apply a kind of strategy according to which the works of art should return to their original countries. In this way they wanted to own valuable objects of art of the Louvre, like the famous altar decorations from Basel. As a countermove, Paris demanded eight precious pieces of art by Antoine Watteau, which were placed in public collections in Berlin and Dresden at that time. It appears that the Nazis didn’t like this deal, so the negotiations of this “diplomatic dialogue” were never finished.

However, the Nazis plundered uncountable objects of art by Jewish collectors and artists. In the sequestered halls (Séquestre du Louvre) where the museum staff was prohibited to enter, the Nazis selected “dignified works” of art to send them to the Reich. Meanwhile uncountable works of art were burnt and destroyed.

The Louvre during the War exposition has many interesting photographs which document these historical happenings. One of the most breath-taking collections are the photos by Pierre Jahan, Laure Albin-Guillot and Marc Vaux who used an extraordinary technique of photography almost unknown nowadays. Besides this, there is very impressive series of photographs, found in the German city Koblenz, which is known under the name of “Louvre sequestration”. These incredible photos show you the sequestration and destruction of the Museums objects of art by the horrible Nazis. Impressive photos by the press or amateur photographers will also be shown.

Once again The Louvre surprises us with a breath-taking exposition of overriding importance which will show you photos of our world history via The Louvre during the War exhibition. It’s almost mandatory to visit the biggest museum in France, and the third biggest museum in the world. Apart from an interesting trip through our history full of emotions and strong feelings, you will have the possibility of discovering the romantic city of lights. Rent apartments in Paris and spend comfortable, cheap and unforgettable holidays in the French capital.