Despite being good at flying under the radar, valland was kicked out of the museum on four separate occasions. Rose valland, and rorimer, are scattered throughout the series. Jan 12, 2014 if youve ever seen john frankenheimers 1964 movie the train starring burt lancaster, youve heard rose vallands story. Rose was a member of the french resistance, but her acts of fearless bravery made a. Aug 14, 2009 her research also proved helpful in confirming my understanding of the intense relationship between rose valland and the man who shared her wartime destiny, monuments officer lt. Only after months of relationship by monuments man capt. Captain rose valland left and captain edith standen right at the wiesbaden central collecting point, 1946.
The monuments men promises to take the story of the recovery of nazilooted art to the global audience that watches films starring george clooney, who directed and cowrote the script. Edith standen papers rose valland and edith standen were among the few women who served as monuments officers. James joseph rorimer 1905 1966 born in cleveland, ohio in 1905, james joseph rorimer became one of the premier museum directors of the twentieth century. The librarian at the book shop showed me rose vallands memoir and.
I was delighted to find this book which i downloaded to my kindle because as an. The librarian at the book shop showed me rose vallands memoir and another book of her complete notes, both in french. Mar 21, 2019 robert edsel is haunted as i am by how easy it is to forget figures like james rorimer and rose valland, two of the fascinating figures around whom he built the story of monuments men. The black and white photograph documents the precautions taken in the summer of 1943 to protect some of the sculptures preserved in the capitoline museums in rome, from the damage of allied bombing. This article tells how she was able to save the paintings. James rorimer, valland agreed to turn over her most important records.
Jaujard described her as imminently forgettable, and monuments man james rorimer called her matronly edsel 160. Rorimer was first introduced to valland in fall 1944. Edith standen, rose valland and a soldier converse while men prepare paintings for transportation, circa 1946 unidentified photographer. Art was a subject that james had been studying since he was a small child. It helped us because it made the website more interesting and it explained briefly the role of the monuments men. Edsel, author of the book the monuments men on which the movie is based, discovered the story of the group, his sister annie was able to give edsel letters that james rorimer.
Rose valland, member of the monuments, fine arts, and archives mfaa section. Rose valland is one of the greatest and yet unknown heroines of world war ii. The information valland had risked her life served as a treasure map for rorimer and the monuments men leading to the discovery of multiple repositories of stolen art, most prominently at neuschwanstein castle in the. Feb 02, 2014 rose valland, whose role is depicted briefly by cate blanchett in the film, was a french resistance operative who spied on the nazis and showed herself able to shoot and drink with the boys. Rorimer, a harvardeducated medieval art specialist first hired by the metropolitan in 1927. Resistance at the museum attempts to answer it and to provide us with what is known about her life before, during, and after the nazi subjugation of paris from may 10, 1940, to august 25, 1944. Rose valland is portrayed by the character claire simone played by the lovely cate blanchett.
This is the fifth in an ongoing series of posts on reallife monuments men by dr. James retells the salvage of paris soon after the occupation and moves onto germany to recapture loot. The true story of a world war ii monuments man fox news. Feb 10, 2014 james rorimer james granger matt damon james rorimer matt damon in the monuments men. Rose antonia maria valland 1 november 1898 18 september 1980 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. Ronald balfour, harry ettlinger, walker hancock, walter hutch huchthausen, jacques jaujard, lincoln kirstein, robert posey, james rorimer, and george stout. James joseph rorimer september 7, 1905 may 11, 1966, was an american museum curator and former director of the metropolitan museum of art, where he was a primary force behind the creation of the cloisters, a branch of the museum dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval europe. Mar 30, 2014 the book is divided into five sections, and it features one woman, rose valland, and nine men. James rorimer and rose valland archives of american art. In the book, edsel vaguely suggests a flirtation between valland and the american monuments man james rorimer whom she eventually chooses to confide in.
James joseph rorimer september 7, 1905 may 11, 1966, was an american museum. The salvage and protection of art in war, financial records, photographic materials including a. Mar 19, 2019 the monuments men james rorimer by patrick bunker james rorimer is no longer alive, but the contributions he made during his lifetime are still relevant in todays modern world. The book is divided into five sections, and it features one woman, rose valland, and nine men. Over the months, he earned her trust and by march 1945, when rorimer was headed with the army into southern germany, she told him that. Find out more about rose vallands book resistance at the. Rose valland art spy extraordinaire a scholarly skater. First lieutenant james rorimer rode his bicycle to rose valland s apartment in the fifth arrondissement, an ancient section of paris known as the latin quarter. While i was clearing dinner dishes, a pile of books on the staircase caught my eye. The other thought which i was having was, was this written with the thought of making a movie.
After risking her life spying on the nazis, day after day for four long years, rose lived to fulfill her destiny. Aug 06, 2014 rose valland knew wherethe works of art that were removed to germany had been secreted and she shared her information with my grandfather and the shaef mission to france j. The monuments men james rorimer by patrick bunker james rorimer is no longer alive, but the contributions he made during his lifetime are still relevant in todays modern world. Rose valland, whose role is depicted briefly by cate blanchett in the film, was a french resistance operative who spied on the nazis. Her knowledge was later to benefit the monument man james rorimer, as she also knew where the germans brought the art treasures at the end of the war. In 1968 the great heroine retired, but she continued helping the. Their exploits were chronicled in a 2009 book by robert m.
It is the trailer for monuments men which is a movie about rose valland and how she got the artwork and how she spied on the nazis. Art was a subject that james had been studying since. Monuments men and artworks in world war ii in 1943, the monuments, fine arts, and archives program mfaa was established 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. When we talk about the monuments men, names like rose valland and james rorimer usually come to mind. Archivist rihoko ueno, who recently processed holdings and curated an exhibit related to the monuments men at the archives of american art, examines how the actions of rose valland and james j. It was so cool reading this book and then taking a trip to paris, staying in the latin quarter.
It was there that the great shipments from france were sent during the years of 194043, and the archives and inventories assimilated and prepared j. It sometimes feels like a movie would tell this story better. Rose valland goodreads meet your next favorite book. Armys monuments, fine arts and archives section, a. Rose valland knew wherethe works of art that were removed to germany had been secreted and she shared her information with my grandfather and the shaef mission to france j. James rorimer, did valland agree to turn over her most important records. N for neuschwanstein castle via artonauti does this fairylike castle look familiar. A look at a real man portrayed in monuments men the. Her research also proved helpful in confirming my understanding of the intense relationship between rose valland and the man who shared her wartime destiny, monuments officer lt. Hermann gorings personal art log is a twisted treasure map, a guide to looting and pillaging and giftgiving among the nazi brass, and a tracking mechanism for the nazi occupation of europe. Yes, like in the movie, it took the real claire simone, whose name is actually rose valland, some time to confide the details of the nazi looting to lt. And corinne bouchoux in her 2006 book, reprinted in 20, about valland entitled rose valland. Rorimer papers, archives of american art, smithsonian institution. The absence of books about rose valland in the english language has, until now, left us wondering how this ordinary woman mustered such courage to do.
But you probably barely noticed her character, played with fitting understatement by iconic french actress suzanne flon, because the movies focus was placed on frances railroad heroes, who truly did so much to sabotage and stall the nazis, especially in the. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive. Discover the inspirational life of this unique american war hero today to. In a pivotal scene, edsel writes that rorimer takes valland s hand while pressing her for information. Since processing several collections on the monuments men at the archives of american art, thanks to funding from the samuel h. Rose valland, whose role is depicted briefly by cate blanchett in the film, was. Edith standen has generally been less prominent, but this britishamerican monuments officer and. His early tours of europe as a youth exposed him to the worlds greatest public collections, providing a wealth of knowledge that would prove beneficial during his service as a monuments. James retells the salvage of paris soon after the occupation and moves onto germany. This is a primary source because the picture of her is actually her and not anyone else. Resistance at the museum by corinne bouchoux, robert m.
Edsel is the founder and president of the monuments men foundation for the preservation of art, which received the 2007 national humanities medal under president george w. Rorimer records, the metropolitan museum of art archives. A noted expert on medieval art at the metropolitan museum, he appears on the original lists of art historians proposed for the project. Feb 03, 2014 the real rose valland monuments men valland, a blacksmiths daughter, graduated from school with a teaching degree. Rorimer papers, 19211982, bulk 19431950, in the archives of american art. Monuments men rose valland by patrick bunker nook book. Minimal and postminimal innovation contemporary collecting by rondeau, james, rorimer, anne and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The monuments men true story vs movie george stout.
Rose valland was born and raised in saintetiennedesaintgeoirs, france in 1898 to a modest family. This article was about rose valland and how she grew up to get into working for art. The monuments men was adapted into a film starring george clooney, matt damon, bill murray, and cate blanchett. Rose valland underestimated for her quiet mousey demeanor, rose valland 1898 1980 is a power woman for her courage and cleverness as a world war ii art hero whose saved countless art treasures that we all enjoy today. Rose was a member of the french resistance, but her acts of fearless bravery made a positive effect on countries all over the world. Rose 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. Rorimer was one of the first officially appointed monuments men, arriving in normandy in 1944. Valland including the new george clooneywritten and directed film, the monuments men, based on the book of the same name by robert m.
Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. After the war, rorimer wrote his memoirs, published as survival. Rose valland project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Bret witter is a book editor and professional writer. The monuments men features matt damon portraying the character of james granger, who was based on the reallife figure of james rorimer.
Survival is the firsthand account of monuments, fine arts, and archives officer james j. Born in cleveland, ohio in 1905, james joseph rorimer became one of the premier museum directors of the twentieth century. The revelations of a nazi art catalogue the new yorker. Firm rose valland is one of the greatest and yet unknown heroines of world war ii. Feb 8, 2014 we pit the monuments men true story vs. This helps me because it tells me a lot of information about rose valland and what she did during her lifetime. Rorimer formerly of the metropolitan museum of art in new york city in a document listing several german repositories. This is a secondary source because the writer wasnt around when this happened. James was a very smart man and he enjoyed his work very much because of the passion he had for the worlds great works of art. Smashwords monuments men rose valland a book by patrick. His early tours of europe as a youth exposed him to the worlds greatest public collections, providing a wealth of knowledge that would prove beneficial during his service as a monuments man and his successful career in the art world. Rorimer s son louis recently saw the monuments men and. The real rose valland monuments men valland, a blacksmiths daughter, graduated from school with a teaching degree.
Rose valland, the heroine who saved nazilooted art. Rorimer saved valuable works of art in world war ii. Written in 1950, it captures allied efforts to protect the worlds most important cultural objects that had been systematically looted by the nazis. See also his posts on sir charles leonard woolley, walter j. She secretly recorded details of the nazi plundering of national french and private jewishowned art from france. Edith standen and rose valland with art to be restituted to france, 1946 may unidentified photographer.
I can use this for background information about her. Jul 07, 2015 jaujard described her as imminently forgettable, and monuments man james rorimer called her matronly edsel 160. Rose valland was an ordinary french citizen whose actions made an extraordinary impact during world war 2. Edith standen, rose valland and a soldier converse while men prepare paintings for transportation. This helps me because it tells me information about rose and her early life and how she became into the art field.
James rorimer, the reallife james granger matt damon in the movie. Resistance at the museum rose valland is one of the greatest and yet unknown heroines of world war ii. It is hard to imagine that rorimer would take a male colleagues hand in the same manner. James rorimer matt damon works to gain rose valland s cate blanchett trust in the monuments men. Mar 19, 2019 monuments men rose valland by patrick bunker rose valland was an ordinary french citizen whose actions made an extraordinary impact during world war 2. Neuschwanstein castle is one of the most visited places in germany and has fascinated even walt. See pics of the real george stout, rose valland and james rorimer. When the nazis took over the museum, valland was the only member of the staff that they kept on. While in paris, rorimer had an auspicious encounter with rose valland, an art historian and. In a pivotal scene, edsel writes that rorimer takes vallands hand while pressing her for information. Smashwords the monuments men james rorimer a book by. She grew up appreciating the arts and became extremely educated, earning multiple degrees from art schools across france, such as the national school of fine arts of paris and lyon.
Posts about james rorimer written by monumentsgirl. True story behind the monuments men and nazi art looting. Oct 10, 2014 i would have picked rose valland, james romier and george stout. Mar 14, 2006 rose valland was a member of the french resistance, but never fired a shot or blew up bridges, and yet was one of the most decorated women in french history. Aug 27, 2015 rose valland had assured me that fussen, south of augsburg near the austrian border, was the center for the einsatzstab rosenberg activities in germany. Rorimer, a 40yearold medieval art expert who served as an. Valland who is portrayed by another funny lady, busy philipps. The fuhrerbau was on the list rose valland had given me of repositories in germany containing. This is the story of an ordinary woman who proved that one person can make an enormous difference.
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