The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art

This book, published some 9 years ago, has quickly become a classic and an indispensable study of the European (if not French) art market during WWII and of the Nazis' plundering of the artistic riches in the various countries they overran in the course of the war. Murky figures such as the French dealer Fabiani, German "experts" working for Goering, Rosenberg and, of course, Hitler, museum directors, Jewish dealers or collectors and the fate of their galleries and collections (most of them "aryanized"), the role of French government officials, of Swiss auction houses, everything is tackled in an efficient and informative book. Pictures of disappeared works whose locations are still unknown, and a rich checklist of all the sources used by the author make this book a valuable addition to the literature on WWII.

Other books may relate how the Nazis plundered art, but this book actually led the world to do something about it. You know how you read in the paper all the time that some heir of a Holocaust victim is in a lawsuit to get back valuable paintings? It's directly a result of The Lost Museum. For fifty years, nothing happened in terms of restitution. Feliciano's groundbreaking investigative research is what led museums to examine the provenance of their artwork, caused governments to change their statutes of limitations, and urged heirs to pursue artworks they assumed had long ago vanished. I wish I could give it more than five stars.

Hector Feliciano has done a noble deed, exposing the seamy past of art world collaborators with Nazi Germany. Part detective novel, part thriller, part morality play, it is a "must-read" for anyone who has ever gone to an art museum.

A fascinating story about another way the Germans persecuted the countries they conquered during WWII. The writing is not great and there are problems of a linear time-line, but overall an interesting read because it is very obvious the author did a lot of research into this seldom written about part of the war.

Excellent research and documentation. Incredible detail. History buffs will love this book. The author, Hector Feliciano, recently came to Washington with the Alliance Francaise, to speak at the Holocaust Museum. He gave a fascinating presentation.