A new gallery itinerary, display, blog post, and Sunday at the Met lecture event at The Metropolitan Museum of Art focus on the heroic work of the Monuments Men during World War II and their lasting impact on the Museum and its collection. The role of James J. Rorimer, a Monuments Man who became the Met's director after the war, is highlighted.
These activities have been created to coincide with the February 7, 2014 release of the feature film The Monuments Men.The group popularly known as the "Monuments Men" was established in 1943 under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied armies, as part of a concerted effort to protect artworks, archives, and monuments of historical and cultural significance as the Allies advanced across Europe. These 345 men and women, representing 13 nations, volunteered for service in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA). Among their ranks were museum curators, art historians, and others with specialized training or professional expertise that enabled them to identify and care for works of art subject to forced relocation or harm under the difficult wartime conditions. With limited resources and authority, they were ultimately able to track, locate, and return more than five million looted cultural items.Videos