Letters to Rose Valland E-Book

Christiane Köhne

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 180

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

The astronomer falls off the flatbed truck, the falconer is afraid of a lion. Mona Lisa worries about red spots. Being "degenerate" hurts. The artworks themselves know best what it feels like to be systematically looted, deported, hidden, sold, and humiliated under the Nazi regime: paintings by some of the most famous artists of past centuries describe their personal experiences in letters, expressing their gratitude or pleading for help. The addressee: Rose Valland, a French art historian and resistance fighter. It was her commitment, foresight and courage that contributed significantly to the rescue of the art treasures. The book is another important step in keeping the darkest chapter of German history in memory.

Leseprobe

Foreword

One day, the book Monuments Men by Robert Edsel and Bret Witter fell into my hands. The subtitle alone, The Hunt for Hitler's Looted Art, made me want to get on my couch with this book as soon as possible. In Part II, I came across a woman by the name of Rose Valland. Curious, I devoured one chapter after the other. At En de, I realized that many people knew of the Monuments Men and their heroic deeds, but who knew the heroic deeds of Rose Valland? After all, she put her life on the line for art! I think that this woman, who was a spy for art, should be put in the spotlight a little more. So, my mind was made up! I was going to write a book about this extraordinary French national heroine. A dry, historical biography was out of the question for me, as I didn't want to bore my readers with a flood of dates, dry, researched facts with footnotes and other notes. I thought about it for a while and one day I had an idea! I will let famous paintings speak, namely those that Rose Valland had seen in the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris and noted down in her diary, or other pictures that turn to her for help. These pictures are the historical witnesses and are brought to life by the letters they write to Rose Valland. The stories they tell us give us an interesting insight into the events of the time in an entertaining way. The following part of each chapter contains facts or other revealing information about the corresponding pictures or the people associated with them.

This literary form enables me to bring you closer to Rose Valland and her heroic deeds in a very special way. You will find the complete biography of this extraordinarily courageous woman at the very end of the book. Why at the end of all places? Quite simply so that you can form your own impression of Rose Valland as you read the individual chapters.

World history doesn't always have to be boring, just get started!

Christiane Köhne

Mona Lisa

A letter from the Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)

Leonardo da Vinci, 1503-1506

Oil on poplar wood

77 x 53 cm

Dear Rose,

I'll be honest with you. I secretly overheard you and Jacques when you met in the Salle des Etats. I could hear the excitement in your voices as you talked about the German Reich, Adolf Hitler and the future of France. Your voices were very quiet, but I could understand you quite well. I will never forget the sight of your two bodies standing in front of Paolo Veronese's painting, blending perfectly with the backdrop of The Marriage of Cana. Dear Rose, I must confess that I was a little jealous of you at first, as I love Jacques more than anything. But the longer I listened to your conversation, the more I realized how much you cared about me and my well-being. My jealousy quickly evaporated when I heard the danger you were willing to put yourself in for me and the rest of the art of Paris. Dear Rose, a lot has happened since then. I haven't seen you for a long time and I'm worried about you. So I'm writing you the following lines to let you know how I'm doing.

When Jacques came to see me in the Louvre one day, he looked different than usual. There was a deep wrinkle on his forehead and his fixed gaze, which was directed at me, caused me great concern. I smiled at him, but he didn't smile back, which he usually did! He looked thoughtfully first at me, then at the other paintings in the room. I wondered what was wrong with him today? It was also strange that no visitors were streaming into the Salle des Etats that day, as was usually the case. It was suspiciously quiet. I listened to Jacques' footsteps as they echoed through the museum until they became quieter and quieter and could no longer be heard. The silence that followed scared me. It was quite a while before I suddenly heard a loud noise that was getting closer and closer. Voices were talking in confusion, there was a crashing and rattling. What was that noise all of a sudden? Then I saw them enter the hall. There were countless people, men and women. I knew a few of them because they worked at the Louvre. A large number, however, were strangers to me. Each of them was carrying either white wooden crates, heaps of packing material or tools. They looked determined, which frightened me even more. I wondered what these people were planning to do with the crates they were dragging into the Salle des Etats. The answer was not long in coming. I saw them taking one painting after another from the wall, carefully packing them up and placing them in the wooden crate provided. I thought back to the secret meeting between you and Jacques in the museum and it slowly dawned on me what would happen to me and the other paintings. It wasn't long before an unknown man stood in front of me. He paused for a moment, looked at me lovingly and carefully took me down from the wall. Just before he carefully placed me in one of these wooden boxes, I could make out three red dots, but nowhere was my name written.

I was taken to a truck and carefully stowed in the back. The truck started moving and I was rocked back and forth. During the long journey, I wondered where my journey would take me. Then we stopped. A door was opened and I could see a large lock through a knothole in the box. Was I getting a new home? I was excited! But what happened next made me very sad. I was placed in an unadorned, freezing cold room along with many other white wooden crates. There was a draught through every crack in the walls. To my horror, I discovered that the room was not only cold, but also damp! What would become of me?

As you can imagine, dear Rose, I didn't feel well at all under such circumstances. I felt bad. I was afraid that I would become ugly and unattractive. I pleaded silently that Jacques would hopefully come to me soon and set me free.

Dear Rose, my plea was heard! One day Jacques came to see me. He was not alone. Together with a few members of staff, he had made sure that the room where I had been placed with the other pictures was warmer. That made us feel much better. Jacques took me out of the wooden box for a moment and examined me expertly from all sides. You know how I love it when people look at me intensely, especially when Jacques does it, because it always warms my heart. I smiled at him. Jacques smiled back, but only a little. Then I went back to my crate.

I don't even remember how many days had passed when I heard a hell of a noise from outside! It banged and rumbled. The foundations of the castle shook so much that I could even feel it in my box. I heard people coming into the room excitedly. They were talking wildly. Then I was lifted up, carried out of the castle and loaded into a vehicle. The wild ride began again.

I only had one thought left, I wanted to go home!

I was taken to another castle. The room in which I was now accommodated had many pictures on the walls. There were fine carpets on the floor. I was glad of my little knothole in the box, which allowed me to see a little of my surroundings. One morning, I heard muffled voices in the room. I was a little scared. I waited anxiously to see what would happen. Through my knothole, I could make out two pairs of shoes hesitantly approaching my accommodation. Very carefully, someone tampered with my box. At first I thought it might be Jaques. You can't imagine how confused I was when the lid opened and I looked into the face of a little girl. I'll never forget the astonished look on her face when she saw me. She leaned down into the box and stroked my left cheek very tenderly. A woman standing next to him, probably his mother, whispered something quietly in his ear. I couldn't understand what, but the little girl's eyes widened and she looked at me lovingly. They both smiled at me and I smiled back. Then my box was carefully closed again. Dear Rose, from that moment on, I wished that the little girl and her mother would visit me more often as I felt so lonely in my hiding place. However, nothing happened.

One day I heard loud screams. Everyone was screaming wildly! I heard airplane engines, but no detonations. I expected shots to be fired, but nothing happened. Then I realized that the screams were cheers. I heard loud laughter and someone singing the Marseillaise. My thoughts whirled wildly. Could it be that the war was over? I hardly dared to believe it. Suddenly I heard voices approaching. I held my breath. My box was opened and ... Jacques was there! It really was him! You can't imagine, dear Rose, how happy I was to see him again! I smiled at him and he smiled back. From that moment on, I knew everything would be fine. Again I was stowed away in a vehicle, but this time I didn't mind at all as I knew we were going in the right direction, Paris. They really did drive me back home. When we arrived at the Louvre, Jacques lifted me out of my white box with the three red dots. He took the opportunity to personally hang me on the wall from which I had been removed a long time ago. The joy I felt at that moment was indescribable.

Dear Rose, Jacques and you put your lives on the line for art. I can't tell you how grateful I am to you and, of course, to Jacques. Please write to me about everything you have experienced in these turbulent times. In the hope that you are doing well and that we will perhaps meet again soon, in the most beautiful museum in the world.

Your Mona Lisa

Jacques Jaujard (1895-1967)

Savior of French art

Jacques Jaujard became Secretary General of the Musée Nationaux in Paris in 1926. He was appointed Deputy Director in 1933 and Director of the National Museums in 1939. For Jaujard, the preservation of cultural heritage was a matter close to his heart. During the Spanish Civil War, he oversaw the evacuation of the art collections of the Museo del Prado from Madrid to Switzerland to protect them from looters.

Jacques Jaujard watched the developments in the German Reich with great concern. Hitler was marching inexorably forward and it was only a matter of time before he would invade France. The idea grew in him to bring art to safety from the National Socialists. The plan was to evacuate the most important cultural assets to the castles in the vicinity of Paris.

On August 25, 1939, he had the Louvre closed for three days. Officially, it was for "repair work". During these three days and nights, hundreds of employees, art students and other volunteers packed the Louvre's art into white wooden crates. Large paintings, such as "The Wedding at Cana" by Paolo Veronese, measuring an impressive 9.90 m x 6.66 m, were removed from their frames and rolled around a cylinder to transport them. The "Raft of the Medusa" by Théodore Géricault, 4.91 m x 7.16 m, had to be transported on an open truck, covered only by a huge blanket. The masterpieces from the Louvre were categorized in order of importance. A yellow dot meant very valuable art, a green one - major work, the red dot stood for world treasure. The box containing the Mona Lisa was marked with three red dots. Anything with four wheels was used to transport the art treasures. Private cars, ambulances, trucks, vans and cabs. 203 vehicles, transporting 1,862 wooden crates, drove in convoy to their first stop, Château Chambord. From there, the works of art were distributed to numerous other châteaux in France. Jacques Jaujard supervised the complete evacuation of the art treasures and used all necessary means to secure the future of French cultural heritage. Once the evacuation was complete, it was a case of wait and see.

After the collapse of France, Jaujard waited anxiously to see when the Germans would arrive at the Louvre. Count Franz Wolff-Metternich arrived on August 16, 1940. Hitler had commissioned him to protect art in the western theater of operations. This meant that the French collections were in his area of responsibility. Jacques Jaujard noted in his diary that Wolff-Metternich seemed almost relieved to find the Louvre empty. Like many German aristocrats, he was not a member of the NSDAP. Wolff-Metternich and Jaujard agreed that the works of art in the palaces were well protected and that there would be no further changes for the time being. Adolf Hitler's art protection commissioner held a protective hand over Jaujard, as he too did not want the Nazis to plunder French art.

During the war, Jaujard had to fight on two fronts. Against the Nazis, but also against the Vichy government, whose collaborationist leader was only too willing to hand over France's treasures to the German occupiers.

Due to the new borders, the art objects had to be transported further south. According to my personal research, the Mona Lisa's route was as follows:

Château Chambord

Château Louvigny

Loc-Dieu Monastery

Musée Ingres

Château de Montal

I would like to make a brief comment here. In 2019, I recorded the trail of the Mona Lisa together with my husband. During our vacation in France, we visited all the castles listed above, as well as the Loc-Dieu monastery. Unfortunately, the Musée Ingres was closed for renovation work. After a detailed tour of the Château de Montal, I was surprised that the subject of the Mona Lisa was not addressed at all. So I waited until most of the visitors had left and asked our guide if she could please tell me where the Mona Lisa was hiding at Château de Montal. At first, Madame stared at me a little quizzically, I was worried that she didn't understand my French, but then she smiled and signaled us to come along. She led us into a large room and explained that this was where the Mona Lisa had been. To this day, I'm still surprised that I had to ask about it first, because such an important guest could have been mentioned during the tour of the palace, right? Afterwards, we were led into a small room by the friendly Madame. There was a documentary about the evacuation of the Louvre, and lo and behold, we were told that the Mona Lisa had also been housed at Château de Montal. Why not just like that? On my tour of the châteaux, I realized that Jacques Jaujard had chosen excellent places to store the works of art. The thick stone walls were very good protection. The biggest problem, however, was the humidity in the old walls. Jaujard managed to install electric heaters. Another important aspect for him was that in the event of a fire, it could be extinguished quickly. He made sure that there was a fire pond or a lake nearby. If there wasn't, he pointed out to the employees that there always had to be enough water available in buckets or other containers. Jaujard left nothing to chance.

It was also no coincidence that Jacques Jaujard enlisted the help of Rose Valland, the curator of the Jeu de Paume Museum. He entrusted her with monitoring the activities of the Nazis in her museum. The small museum at the end of the Tuileries Garden served as an art warehouse for the Einsatzstab of Reichsleiter Rosenberg, or ERR for short. This task force was commissioned by Hitler to collect works of art for his Führer Museum in Linz. Rose Valland acted as an interface between the staff at the Museum Jeu de Paume, the ERR and Jacques Jaujard. For four years, she secretly gathered information that enabled her to track the destinations of thousands of paintings that the National Socialists registered in their museum, before transporting them to Germany by train. Rose Valland worked inconspicuously. She had friendly conversations with the people packing the art objects. In the process, she learned in passing where some of the crates were destined for in Germany. In the evenings, when no one was in the museum, she collected slips of paper and matrices from the wastepaper baskets, made a note of the relevant information in her diary and put everything back in its old place. She unobtrusively eavesdropped on the conversations of the National Socialists in her museum and took notes on their content. No one would have thought that Rose understood the German language, so the Germans spoke completely at ease, even when Rose was around. Rose Valland met regularly with Jacques Jaujard and reported her new findings to him. These in turn were passed on to the Résistance, the French resistance movement.

At the beginning of 1944, the Resistance, which was preparing for D-Day, the day on which the Allied landings in Normandy were to take place, made contact with Jaujard. They sent him a liaison officer by the name of Mozart. Jaujard was surprised to learn that Mozart was a platinum blonde French actress working as an agent for the resistance. Her real name was Jeanne Boitel. The two became a couple. After the liberation of France, the public collections returned to Paris. Not a single work of art had been damaged. Even the Mona Lisa was returned undamaged to its old place in the Louvre.

On November 24, 1944, Jacques Jaujard helped found the Récupération Artistique, the French Commission for the Recovery of Works of Art, to ensure the proper return of French works of art. Rose Valland played a key role in this with her entries in her diary. Also in 1944, Jaujard was appointed Director of the French Order of Arts and Letters and later Secretary General for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of State. He received the Medal of the Resistance and was appointed Commander of the Legion of Honor for his exceptional achievements. In December 1955, he was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts.

Jacques Jaujard died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1967 at the age of 71.

Lady with the ermine

A letter from the lady with the ermine

Lady with the ermine

Leonardo da Vinci 1489-1490

Oil and tempera on wood

54.7 x 40.3 cm

Dear Rose,

Unfortunately, we have never met, but I would like to write you these lines anyway, as I have only heard good things about you. I am sure that this letter is in the right hands with you. And who knows, maybe one day, when this terrible war is over, there will be an opportunity for you to tell people my story.