How stolen Nazi art ends up on the blackmarket
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- What happened to Hitler's horses? On this episode of Arts Unveiled, we take a look back at the fascinating investigation which led to the recovery of the statues after disappearing for 80 years and explore the dilemma of dealing with nazi artworks. The entire saga surrounding Hitler's horses unfolded like an enthralling art crime thriller, moving from Berlin to Amsterdam and the United States, landing on the black market for millions and their recovery. The characters involved make for a colorful and gripping story: an elderly Berlin art collector, a Texan named Moss reminiscent of J.R. Ewing, a shady car dealer, a collector of Nazi memorabilia, a resourceful Berlin detective, and perhaps the world's most renowned art detective. And let's not forget the nameless Soviet soldiers and Stasi who had a hand in the web of intrigue surrounding the statues.
Hitler's horses were created by one of Adolf Hitler's favorite artists, sculptor Josef Thorak, who received the commission in 1939 to create decorative pieces for the New Reich Chancellery's gardens. Thorak was among the 100 "God-gifted" artists, a legendary list compiled by the Nazis featuring artists they favored. In 1943, as British bombers set the German capital ablaze, Hitler concealed his beloved horses in the Oderbruch region. After Germany was liberated by the Allies in 1945, the horses found themselves in a Soviet barracks in Eberswalde, after that their trail went cold.
It was only in 2013, when a Berlin collector received an offer to purchase the horses, that she recognized the explosive nature of the artifacts and alerted Police Commissioner Rene Allonge. He took up the case, delving into the whereabouts of the stallions. Dutch art detective Arthur Brand simultaneously investigated the matter, creating the persona of fictional Nazi art collector "Moss," a wealthy Texan collector of statues from the "Thousand-Year Reich." Brand and Allonge eventually joined forces and, after various twists and turns, cracked the case. The bronze statues were discovered during a raid in the summer of 2015 in the small town of Bad Dürkheim, north of Karlsruhe.
The horses are now back in Berlin in the German capital's Zitadelle Spandau. But the question remains. What should be done with nazi art? Show it, store it, or exhibit it with historical context? Berlin has chosen the latter in the case of the horses, as most original works from that era were understandably destroyed to erase the memory of the Nazi regime.
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00:00 Introduction
06:48 Hitler's Horses: Real or Fake
07:58 Were Hitler's Horses Saved?
11:27 How Hitler's Horses disappeared again
16:32 Hitler's Horses: A True Crime Story?
24:45 Hitler's Horses: A Hollywood Ending
Art is equally important to our history as written and oral accounts. Each piece represents a distinct moment in time. To ignore, hide, or destroy art associated with tragic moments in time is an attempt to erase and heal. Once the art is lost all is still not forgotten.
I feel like “toxic art” should still be displayed because it was a part of history that we shouldn’t erase. We have to remember that this happened and not that long ago. We can’t erase the history, otherwise, we will all forget it and not learn from it’s mistakes. Same with the statues that were taken down in the US. They should have a museum just for toxic art and the consequences of it.
Indeed
Superb production, many thanks. The art should be preserved and displayed because not only is it a very important part of German culture and history, its also vitally important that we never forget.
Fascinating documentary. Very interesting to see several periods of German history reflected in the changing fate of a pair of important sculptures. Interesting to debate about how art works should be displayed and described, depending on their original intention, and the beliefs of the sculptor and commissioner.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here, we appreciate it! It is a fascinating intertwined story indeed….
Well, I could tell you about the dubious art that I inherited from my grandparents. My grandfather worked at the American Embassy in Brussels after the war. My grandmother's French maid would take her many black market dealers where she would trade cartons-even cases of various American tobacco products for fine works of art. On the weekends she would travel to Aachen, Paris and Amsterdam to visit these semi-legal markets(LOL) Her house was like walking into a Museum. She even bought one of Eva Braun's Mercedes Benz convertibles for her cousin and I can remember that car was in many 4th of July parades.
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Thank you greatly for sharing the history on these beautiful horses. 😊
Excellent documentary! Thank you Arthur Brand for recovering Hitler's horses.
You guys offer great quality, you deserve way more subscribers, thank you for your work
I can't believe this has so few views. What an amazing story and great production!
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Good Job !
Fantastic documentary 👏 well made. Incredible they were found. Did he say what studio bought the rights!? Curious
Great piece, very informative.
this is a really interesting story - thanks so much for sharing it!
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Speechless 🪬
DW presents some of most informative and interesting documentaries.
Art, especially statues, carries meaning. What that meaning is will change over time and with the perspective of the viewer. Destroying art because it carries a meaning we are uncomfortable with is as dangerous as burning books. The horses are no different to the statues of slave owners/traders that caused controversy in the UK in recent years. They should be displayed with information regarding their historical context and people should be encouraged to explore that more deeply.
The other point I'd make is that we should be able to admire works of art for their aesthetic quality even while being aware of what they symbolise(d). Eisenstein's 'Battleship Potemkin' is pure Communist propaganda but that shouldn't detract from the stunning cinematography which has influenced film makers for nearly a century.
The Vatican has a hell of an art collection
SO MANY PEOPLE SPENT SO MUCH TIME JUST HORSING AROUND ON THIS OLD X
nice welding
They are historical artifacts much like Roman or Greek art. They should be displayed somewhere public, but also somewhere safe and with proper signage, explaining their history. I feel this way about certain statues here in the US and also, Soviet art.
Thanks for watching. We're grateful for your contribution to the conversation within our community.
Just Discovered yesterday Arthur Brand traced 5th Century Mosaic of Saint Mark
looted from Panayia Kanakaria Church in 1974 Turkish Invasion
and would like to suggest he write a book about this as the Uncle of Saint Mark was
Saint Barnabas of Cyprus Patron of Cyprus Acts 4/36
Kept as a reminder of how not to let fear and manipulation create power. To call it toxic art is to give it power. Particularly to people that have not learnt the lesson of how bigotry in all it's manifestations is uninvolved.
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The darkest years of German history revealed again. And again. And . .. ...
Answer 2 your question: Displayed and discussed
Thanks for your opinion here!! 🐴
It ended up in the black market because Allied soldiers looted it then sold it when they got home ergo ending up on the black market
I hope someone steals them again....
In hindsight, it would have been better if the bronze horses had really been destroyed in the Battle of Berlin, or melted down by the Soviet occupiers. Anyway, it would be very convenient. Today, and especially for Germans, the destroy option no longer exists for monumental Nazi "art" and Nazi architecture, as that de facto erases some of the few remaining visible traces of the Nazi regime and the misanthropy emanating from its intimidating architecture and of the propaganda "art" that belongs to it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic
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