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The Art Front: The Defence of French Collections, 1939-1945
Monuments Woman Rose Valland, one of the greatest heroines of the arts, risked her life during World War II working under the watchful eyes of the Nazis. Her remarkable story is told in her memoir Le front de l'art: Défense des collections françaises 1939–1945, a book that sheds light on one of the darkest periods in human history. The Art Front is the first-ever English translation of Valland’s own words and brings her courageous deeds to readers worldwide.
Translated by Rose Valland expert and art historian Ophélie Jouan, The Art Front will feature an introduction by Foundation founder and chairman, Robert M. Edsel, also #1 NYT bestselling author and world-leading expert on the Monuments Men and Women, and will include almost one hundred images, bringing a new visual element to the heroism of this warrior of the arts.
Translated by Rose Valland expert and art historian Ophélie Jouan, The Art Front will feature an introduction by Foundation founder and chairman, Robert M. Edsel, also #1 NYT bestselling author and world-leading expert on the Monuments Men and Women, and will include almost one hundred images, bringing a new visual element to the heroism of this warrior of the arts.
- GenresHistoryArtNonfiction
404 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
About the author
Rose Valland
3 books12 followersRose Antonia Maria Valland was a French art historian, member of the French Resistance, captain in the French military, and one of the most decorated women in French history. She secretly recorded details of the Nazi plundering of National French and private Jewish-owned art from France; and, working with the French Resistance, she saved thousands of works of art.
Valland was born in Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs, Isère, the daughter of a blacksmith. Like many gifted pupils from humble backgrounds, she received a scholarship in an école normale, a teacher school. She graduated in 1918, with the plan of becoming an art teacher. She studied art at the École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon, graduating in 1922. Valland then topped the competitive exam for art teacher training and underwent two years of training in the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, graduating 1925. Valland then became a drawing teacher in high schools, but began to study art history in the école du Louvre and the university of Paris. She graduated in 1931 with a special diploma from the école du Louvre and engaged in graduate studies at the collège de France. In 1932, Valland became volunteer assistant curator at the Jeu de Paume Museum.
Following the liberation of Paris by the Allied Forces, Rose Valland worked as a member of the "Commission for the Recovery of Works of Art" (Commission de Récupération Artistique). Valland was appointed a conservator of the French Musées Nationaux and in 1954 was named Chair of the "Commission for the Protection of Works of Art" (Chef du Service de protection des oeuvres d'art). In 1961, she wrote about her wartime experiences in a book published under the title, Le front de l'art (republished in 1997).
Valland was born in Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs, Isère, the daughter of a blacksmith. Like many gifted pupils from humble backgrounds, she received a scholarship in an école normale, a teacher school. She graduated in 1918, with the plan of becoming an art teacher. She studied art at the École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon, graduating in 1922. Valland then topped the competitive exam for art teacher training and underwent two years of training in the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, graduating 1925. Valland then became a drawing teacher in high schools, but began to study art history in the école du Louvre and the university of Paris. She graduated in 1931 with a special diploma from the école du Louvre and engaged in graduate studies at the collège de France. In 1932, Valland became volunteer assistant curator at the Jeu de Paume Museum.
Following the liberation of Paris by the Allied Forces, Rose Valland worked as a member of the "Commission for the Recovery of Works of Art" (Commission de Récupération Artistique). Valland was appointed a conservator of the French Musées Nationaux and in 1954 was named Chair of the "Commission for the Protection of Works of Art" (Chef du Service de protection des oeuvres d'art). In 1961, she wrote about her wartime experiences in a book published under the title, Le front de l'art (republished in 1997).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 27, 2025
I read this book because I teach a class in which the looting of art by the Nazis during World War II is a pedagogical unit. I have given the book 4 stars for two main reasons: firstly, it’s a bit dry and somewhat confusing. If you are picking this up to read cover to cover, you’ll have to read it because it recounts the history of art looting that came through the Jeu de Paume from 1940 to 1945. If you are looking for something that tells this story in a logical, fully chronological order, or with some sort of written flair, you’ll be disappointed. Secondly: I thought that Valland would say exactly how she operated within her role at the Jeu de Paume. Did she memorize everything she heard? Did she keep secret notes? How often did she report back to Jacques Jaujard? How did she avoid being killed by the Nazi’s, especially when she mentions being directly threatened twice? This isn’t really Valland’s personal account of her role in the drama, nor is it a memoir, which is what I was actually hoping it was. It’s more like a court report, as if she were asked to recount very minute details of the goings-on at the Jeu de Paume over 5 years where she was one of the sole French witnesses to the events that occurred there. Because there is so much here, this new edition of the book includes an appendix of sixteen documents related to the looting written by the major characters; two sets of illustrations (those from the original text and additional images to help flesh out the story); a list of abbreviations because there are at least 15 that are frequently used throughout the book; a glossary of names with biographical notes; and a detailed index. Footnotes included are both from the original publication of this book in 1961, as well as new footnotes added in brackets by the editors to give the story additional clarifications. In short, it’s a story with a lot of weeds that have to be teased out to be fully understood.
However, obviously this is an important primary source document on the events relating to Nazi art looting; the role of the ERR in that crime, and the seemingly constant art grabs by Hermann Goering and Aldolf Hitler during the period. There is a lot of valuable information regarding the emptying out of the public collections in 1939, thanks to the excellent forethought of Jacques Jaujard, director of the National Museums of France, into nine different chateaux around France, including works such as the Mona Lisa and the Nike of Samothrace. There is also an excellent account of the fate of many modern works of art, which the Nazis considered “degenerate,” and how the Nazis used a lot of that art to fund their war effort. One does get the sense of the immense undertaking of the theft of collections by Jewish individuals, as well as works taken by non-Jewish people who nevertheless fled the occupied zone of France. The best chapters were XIX (“Work of Art for Hitler”) and XX (The Liquidation of “Degenerate Art”), and from my point of view these might be the best chapters to share with students.
Overall, if you are a WWII historian or history buff, or if you’re working on this period for some project, this will be an important addition to your library. I support buying it directly from the Monuments Men and Women Foundation of Dallas, Texas, because it helps to fund the Foundation’s mission, they who continue the work of Rose Valland and other art historians in trying to locate looting and still lost masterpieces.
However, obviously this is an important primary source document on the events relating to Nazi art looting; the role of the ERR in that crime, and the seemingly constant art grabs by Hermann Goering and Aldolf Hitler during the period. There is a lot of valuable information regarding the emptying out of the public collections in 1939, thanks to the excellent forethought of Jacques Jaujard, director of the National Museums of France, into nine different chateaux around France, including works such as the Mona Lisa and the Nike of Samothrace. There is also an excellent account of the fate of many modern works of art, which the Nazis considered “degenerate,” and how the Nazis used a lot of that art to fund their war effort. One does get the sense of the immense undertaking of the theft of collections by Jewish individuals, as well as works taken by non-Jewish people who nevertheless fled the occupied zone of France. The best chapters were XIX (“Work of Art for Hitler”) and XX (The Liquidation of “Degenerate Art”), and from my point of view these might be the best chapters to share with students.
Overall, if you are a WWII historian or history buff, or if you’re working on this period for some project, this will be an important addition to your library. I support buying it directly from the Monuments Men and Women Foundation of Dallas, Texas, because it helps to fund the Foundation’s mission, they who continue the work of Rose Valland and other art historians in trying to locate looting and still lost masterpieces.
February 25, 2025
Book 7
Love the first-hand account of nazism and looting occurring in France between 1939-1945. Rose valland is a singular hero. Period. Her name shall never be forgotten.
Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg was responsible for property according to Germany during the war, specifically Jewish property. The ERR claimed to employ the very principles found in the Talmud (Hebrew Talmud represents a collection of sacred and normative rabbinic teachings guiding Jewish laws and tradition) to defend against Jewish law. Apparently, it considered non-Jews to be “like cattle” and therefore deprived of any rights. Because of that, property of non-Jews was supposed to be treated “as if it had no real owners.” A November 1941 directive from Hitler explains the German use of the term “ownerless assets” to describe Jewish possessions. During the war, the expression “ownerless assets” came to mean confiscated goods, but its initial usage was steeped in ideology. Head of the ERR claimed “the Jew with his property is not protected by any laws, because for millennia he has considered all non-Jews lacking rights.” The totally antisemitism campaign was only carried out so the Nazis could loot what they coveted, and ONLY then - “it is only the Reich that has the right to have access to Jewish assets” per the head of the ERR.
Surprising take - “Germany, throughout its history, has always felt an extreme kind of enthusiasm for the spoils of war, and has been attracted by the appearance of things impossible to obtain. The greed and romanticism associated with it reflects a characteristic that is quintessentially German. Because of this irrationality on the part of the third Reich, the Nazis went after the legendary riches that were promised to the German soldier, not only found in the opulent collections of the Jews, but also after humble possessions that had only sentimental value.” Pg 69 this idea could have been shaped by contemporary art historians during Rose Valland’s time who were angered by the blatant disrespect for treasured items by the Nazis
“Given the evolution of events, it seems likely, And indeed the only plausible assumption, that Hitler was waiting for an imminent victory to decide the fate of all the confiscated works of art at once.” Pg 164
“The magnitude of the loaded treasure stirred the avid interest of the highest-ranking members of the third Reich. Is this not how one imagines the struggles between rival gangs, who were once allies, each vying to snatch away for their sole benefit the spoils of their collective exploits? These conflicts over confiscated art treasures, though they stand apart from the common settling of scores due to their magnitude, can by no means be construed as “state“ affairs. Then again, Nazi methods have always tried to disguise individual ambitions behind general interests.” Pg 169
Westminster declaration: 1943 allied directive stating all transfers of property that the enemy had carried out in the occupied territories were declared null and void.
Every occupied country with looting created their own commission or mission dedicated to art recovery (including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Czechoslovakia, the USSR, and others)
Love the first-hand account of nazism and looting occurring in France between 1939-1945. Rose valland is a singular hero. Period. Her name shall never be forgotten.
Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg was responsible for property according to Germany during the war, specifically Jewish property. The ERR claimed to employ the very principles found in the Talmud (Hebrew Talmud represents a collection of sacred and normative rabbinic teachings guiding Jewish laws and tradition) to defend against Jewish law. Apparently, it considered non-Jews to be “like cattle” and therefore deprived of any rights. Because of that, property of non-Jews was supposed to be treated “as if it had no real owners.” A November 1941 directive from Hitler explains the German use of the term “ownerless assets” to describe Jewish possessions. During the war, the expression “ownerless assets” came to mean confiscated goods, but its initial usage was steeped in ideology. Head of the ERR claimed “the Jew with his property is not protected by any laws, because for millennia he has considered all non-Jews lacking rights.” The totally antisemitism campaign was only carried out so the Nazis could loot what they coveted, and ONLY then - “it is only the Reich that has the right to have access to Jewish assets” per the head of the ERR.
Surprising take - “Germany, throughout its history, has always felt an extreme kind of enthusiasm for the spoils of war, and has been attracted by the appearance of things impossible to obtain. The greed and romanticism associated with it reflects a characteristic that is quintessentially German. Because of this irrationality on the part of the third Reich, the Nazis went after the legendary riches that were promised to the German soldier, not only found in the opulent collections of the Jews, but also after humble possessions that had only sentimental value.” Pg 69 this idea could have been shaped by contemporary art historians during Rose Valland’s time who were angered by the blatant disrespect for treasured items by the Nazis
“Given the evolution of events, it seems likely, And indeed the only plausible assumption, that Hitler was waiting for an imminent victory to decide the fate of all the confiscated works of art at once.” Pg 164
“The magnitude of the loaded treasure stirred the avid interest of the highest-ranking members of the third Reich. Is this not how one imagines the struggles between rival gangs, who were once allies, each vying to snatch away for their sole benefit the spoils of their collective exploits? These conflicts over confiscated art treasures, though they stand apart from the common settling of scores due to their magnitude, can by no means be construed as “state“ affairs. Then again, Nazi methods have always tried to disguise individual ambitions behind general interests.” Pg 169
Westminster declaration: 1943 allied directive stating all transfers of property that the enemy had carried out in the occupied territories were declared null and void.
Every occupied country with looting created their own commission or mission dedicated to art recovery (including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Czechoslovakia, the USSR, and others)
May 1, 2025
This book is fantastic…I learned so much. Always wanted to read an English translation of this. It was very interesting, feels like a movie! Highly recommend.
November 4, 2025
This beautiful volume is the first English translation of the book written by Rose Valland, the curator of Paris’ Jeu de Paume museum during the Nazi occupation 1939-1945. This beautiful hardcover volume contains Rose’s narrative of the events, 65 pages of high quality photographs, and appendices including a glossary, list of main characters and index, with maps of Paris on the inside covers.
Most importantly, this volume contains the imprimatur of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, who funded this translation with the help of private donations and is supervising its distribution. The importance of this story cannot be overstated. The more we know about authoritarian efforts to suppress culture, the more can stop it happening in the future.
Most importantly, this volume contains the imprimatur of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, who funded this translation with the help of private donations and is supervising its distribution. The importance of this story cannot be overstated. The more we know about authoritarian efforts to suppress culture, the more can stop it happening in the future.
October 19, 2025
FINALLY read Rose Valland’s account! Worth the read…lots of detail, reports, etc but her observations are worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews