 The Ghent Altarpiece during recovery from the art depot in the Altaussee salt mine, 1945 | |
| Formation | 1943 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1946 |
Parent organization | Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied armies |
The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section Unit (MFAA) was a program established by the Allies in 1943 to help protect cultural property in war areas during and after World War II. The group of about 400 service members and civilians worked with military forces to protect historic and cultural monuments from war damage, and as the conflict came to a close, to find and return works of art and other items of cultural importance that had been stolen by the Nazis or hidden for safekeeping. Spurred by the Roberts Commission, MFAA branches were established within the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of Allied armies.
Some of them are portrayed and honored in the 2014 film The Monuments Men.
Many of the men and women of the MFAA, also known as "Monuments Men", went on to have prolific careers. Largely art historians and museum personnel, many of the American members of the group had formative roles in the growth of the United States’ most prominent cultural institutions, including the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the New York City Ballet. Members from other allied powers, such as the United Kingdom and France, also found post-war success in museums and other institutions across the world.
Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, a US non-profit founded by American author and philanthropist Robert M. Edsel was created with the stated mission of preserving the legacy of those who served in the MFAA.[1] The Foundation seeks to further the mission of the MFAA by recovering Nazi looted artworks, documents, and other cultural objects and returning them to their rightful owners.[2] Monuments men and women have worked directly with the Foundation, including Harry L. Ettlinger and Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite.
- ^ "Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art". National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Archived from the original on July 19, 2023.
- ^ "Monuments Men Foundation I World War II I Art Preservation I Art". MonumentsMenFdn. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023.