Monuments Men and Women Foundation

Monuments Men and Women Foundation
Company typeNot-for-profit organization
IndustryCultural Preservation
FoundedJune 6, 2007
FounderRobert M. Edsel
HeadquartersDallas, Texas
Websitehttps://www.monumentsmenandwomenfnd.org/

The Monuments Men and Women Foundation, formerly known as the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, is an American IRS-approved 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization,[1] which honors the legacy of those who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program during and after World War II,[2][3] more commonly known as the Monuments Men and Women. Today, the foundation continues their mission by recovering Nazi looted artworks, documents, and other cultural objects and returning them to their rightful owners. Raising public awareness is essential to the foundation's mission of "Restitution, Education and Preservation".[4]

It was founded in 2007[5] by Robert M. Edsel, author of Rescuing Da Vinci,[6] The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History,[7][8] Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis,[9][10] and The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History: the Story of the Monuments Men.[11] The film The Monuments Men, scripted, directed by, and starring George Clooney, is based on Edsel's best-seller and was released in February 2014 and has been shown in over 100 countries.[12] The film was also privately shown at the White House for members of President Barack Obama's administration.[13]

The organization was one of the recipients of the 2007 National Humanities Medals presented by President George W. Bush.[14] On October 22, 2015, after nine years of tireless work, the foundation succeeded in having the United States Congress present the Monuments Men and Women, of all 14 nations, with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States.[15] Four living members of the MFAA attended the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony, including Monuments Man Harry Ettlinger and Monuments Woman Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite.[16]

  1. ^ "Monuments Men Foundation". RobertEdsel. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art". National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Archived from the original on July 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "About the Monuments Men Foundation". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
  4. ^ "About the Foundation - Monuments Men Foundation". www.monumentsmenandwomenfnd.org. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023.
  5. ^ "Awards & Honors: National Humanities Medals - National Endowment for the Humanities". www.neh.gov. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012.
  6. ^ Edsel, R. M. (2006). Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis stole Europe's great art, America and her allies recovered it. Laurel. ISBN 9780977433490. OCLC 884216162.
  7. ^ Edsel, Robert M. (2014). The monuments men: Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history. Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-4104-7122-2. OCLC 1054990568.
  8. ^ Edsel, Robert M. (2009-09-03). The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. Center Street. ISBN 978-1-59995-265-9.
  9. ^ Edsel, Robert M. (3 February 2014). Saving Italy: the race to rescue a nation's treasures from the Nazis. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-34880-4. OCLC 875354298.
  10. ^ Edsel, Robert M. (2013-04-15). "Saving Italy!". RobertEdsel. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023.
  11. ^ "The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History | Scholastic Canada". www.scholastic.ca. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022.
  12. ^ Edsel, Robert M. (2 November 2012). "George Clooney's Monuments Men; Dujardin, Murray, and Blanchett Confirmed to Co-S". RobertEdsel. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023.
  13. ^ Varandani, Suman (2014-02-19). "George Clooney, Matt Damon Attend White House Screening Of 'The Monuments Men'". International Business Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014.
  14. ^ Breslow, Jason M. (2007-11-16). "6 Academics Receive National Honors in Arts and Humanities". The Chronicle of Higher Education. ISSN 0009-5982.
  15. ^ "National Archives Congratulates the Monuments Men". National Archives. 2016-08-15. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Monuments Men Honored | House.gov". www.house.gov. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023.