Kunst und Profit

Not only Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering utilized the occupation of France during the Second World War to procure artworks for their collections - German museums also made acquisitions at the time. The advantageous foreign exchange rate and the large range of artworks, for instance, from seized Jewish property, afforded favorable opportunities. French museums like the Louvre also expanded their holdings during this time. Many purchases by German museums were restituted to France in the postwar period, while some have remained in the collections until today and are first now becoming a focus of research. The essays in the volume from German and French perspectives analyze the similarities and differences in the activities of museums on the French art market during the occupation for the first time. Adolf Hitler et Hermann Goering ne sont pas les seuls a avoir profite de l'Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale pour acquerir des oeuvres d'art pour leurs collections - les musees allemands y ont egalement fait des acquisitions. Le taux de change avantageux et l'offre importante d'oeuvres d'art provenant par exemple de proprietes juives spoliees ont offert des opportunites favorables. Les musees francais, comme le Louvre, ont egalement elargi leurs collections a cette epoque. De nombreuses acquisitions de musees allemands ont ete restituees a la France dans l'apres-guerre, mais certaines sont restees dans les collections jusqu'a ce jour et n'ont attire l'attention des chercheurs que recemment. Les contributions de ce volume analysent pour la premiere fois, des points de vue francais et allemand, les points communs et les differences entre les activites des musees sur le marche de l'art francais pendant l'Occupation.