Description: The complex and riveting stories of art uprooted during World War II and recovered through the efforts of a host of colorful, courageous, and dedicated champions.
Brief description: Suzanne Loebl is the author of fourteen books, most recently America's Medicis: The Rockefellers and Their Astonishing Cultural Legacy. She was born into an art-collecting family in Germany and escaped the Nazis as a teenager by hiding in Belgium. Her other books include America's Art Museums: A Traveler's Guide to Great Collections Large and Small and a memoir on her experience during World War II, At the Mercy of Strangers: Growing Up on the Edge of the Holocaust. In 2012, Loebl received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She splits her time between New York and Maine.
Review Quotes:
"Beyond theft and violence, the book is a testament to the people who, in different ways, fought to protect art and culture. Loebl opens a window onto a tragic yet fascinating chapter in art history and invites us to explore it through her own experience." --DailyArt Magazine
"A work that stands out from the immense and ever-growing shelf of World War II literature. . . . A rich portrait of the fate of art-and artists-in the shadow of Hitler." --Kirkus Reviews "As a Holo-caust sur-vivor, Loebl's writ-ing dis-plays a deep degree of sen-si-tiv-i-ty and lev-el of poignan-cy. Read-ers are swept along as the author shares what hap-pened, paint-ing by paint-ing, start-ing with the theft and then look-ing at a great many of the pieces that were recov-ered and restored to their right-ful owners. . . . The writ-ing is crisp through-out, and each seg-ment about a piece of art brings us deft-ly into the next one." --Jewish Book Council "Loebl has produced an in-depth art-historical examination of a dark time for European culture. Plunder and Survival represents a significant addition to our understanding of how and why the rapacious Nazis sought to erase art and artists they didn't like." --Art New England "A unique and extraordinary contribution to the growing library of Holocaust related histories and accounts . . . An informative, engaging, and simply fascinating read from start to finish." --Midwest Book Review "Suzanne Loebl weaves her own fascinating and unique family history into a narrative that is as compelling as it is detailed. Plunder & Survival is a must-read and will undoubtedly change the way we look at the art looted by the Nazi regime." --June Beallor, Founding Executive Director, USC Shoah Foundation Oscar(R), Emmy(R), and Peabody Award-winning Filmmaker