Lecture spotlights Nazi art collection

Who knew that art played such a pivotal role in the lives of men at war?

Nancy Yeite presented the lecture “Collecting the Third Reich: Hermann Goering and Nazi Art Looting”  on Friday at Woodburn Hall.

Yeite, the head of Curatorial Records at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is an internationally recognized expert on World War II art looting and restitution. Her lecture attracted members from the IU community and others.

Annette Schlagenhauff, associate curator for research at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, said she knows Yeite and admires her work.

“It is linked to the research I do, which is why I came for the lecture,” she said.

The collection in Yeite’s lecture belonged to Herman Goering, a well-known leading Nazi officer who maintained a close relationship with Adolf Hitler.

“My work was based on re-creating the second-most-important collection of Nazi art,” she said.

Yeite continued with a biographical account of Goering’s life, particularly his methods of acquiring art and his close relationships with other Nazi members.

She described Goering as a delusional character with fantasies of wealth and power. She said he believed he was “the last Renaissance man,” which led him to begin his art collection.

He joined the Nazi Party and became one of its most renowned members.  Despite his militaristic ties, Yeite said he still maintained a deep interest in art.

“The most enduring of his passions was art collection, which he began to do as soon as the Nazi Party began succeeding,” she said.

Goering was one of the first to take advantage of art acquisitions in other countries. When Germany invaded the Netherlands and France, Walter Andreas Hofer, an art dealer, began advising Goering on his art collection. Hofer traveled throughout Europe, arranging for objects to be presented to Goering for approval.

However, Yeite emphasized that not all of the  works in Goering’s collection were acquired through purchases. He took advantage of the collections left behind by Jews fleeing their home countries for his personal gain.

Emily Blyze, who works at IU’s Center on Philantrophy in Indianapolis, said she found the topic fascinating.

“Considering it a personal interest, I try to make myself more aware on this subject,” she said. “I believe it is a personal passion.”

To conclude her lecture, Yeite left the audience with a message of optimism.

“My hope is to highlight missing works of art in the hopes that they will soon resurface,” she said.