Belonging and Betrayal: How Jews Made the Art World Modern

In the wake of World War II, Europe lay in ruins. Millions of lives were lost, more had been displaced. James Rorimer was in the US Army, his covert unit tasked with finding precious works of art plundered by the rapacious men of the Third Reich. He was one of the Monuments Men. The art being sought belonged to families that had extensive collections, along with those who were patrons of the elite artists of the late 19th-Early 20th Century. The art collecting world had shifted during that time from the Royals to the well to do who lived in the Cities of Europe(i.e. Paris, Hamburg, Vienna). Intrepid men like Nathan Wildenstein were dealers in antiques who lucked into dealing art, finding a suitable home for newly discovered beauty. The rise of those who cultivated the arts would be swift, lucrative and their fall fast and devastating.

Belonging and Betrayal is a comprehensive tale of the artwork that appeared throughout Europe and then was absconded with in one of the largest heists ever. The various characters featured in this fascinating account hustle, sell and backstab. The work created by the laboring artists possessed ethereal beauty, their theft was one of the darkest hours of humanity.