I have studied and read about WWII many times throughout my educational career. However, I have never thought to look at WWII and the Nazi rampage with an art history perspective. This evening I watched a documentary on PBS called "The Rape of Europa." It was really great and I highly recommend watching it if you get the chance. Hitler, at some points, literally traded people’s lives for the artwork they possessed (specifically well-to-do Jewish art collectors). The documentary raises the question of whether or not soldiers' lives should be risked to save historic sites and artwork. There's also mention of how at the age of 18 he was rejected acceptance into an Austrian art academy which just so happened to hold many Jews on its board of admissions. They speculate this may have helped kindle early feelings of anti-Semitism. Anyway, I found this documentary to be very interesting and am glad I stumbled upon it! Also of note; I caught the very end of Jeopardy today and got the final question correct. It really feels great when this happens. And just if you wondered, no I did not watch TV all day! I promise these are the only two things I watched...ok and I did catch the first half of Martha Stewart this morning as well.
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