Description
Book SynopsisNational Treasures explores the fate of French art and heritage during the Nazi occupation of France, revealing the roots of contemporary cultural policy in the Vichy era and exposing a hidden convergence of resistance and collaboration in French museology.
Trade Review"This book makes several critical arguments, including a strongly documented case for continuity in French cultural policy from the Third Republic through Vichy and the postwar years. Karlsgodt shows that French cultural policy during the Occupation must be understood more in terms of domestic interests than as a function of collaboration with the Germans. She raises important ethical questions about museum acquisitions policies, not only in Vichy France, but also in postwar France and elsewhere." -- Bertram Gordon * Mills College *
"Elizabeth Karlsgodt presents a well-researched account of the policies and practices of the Vichy regime with respect to the cultural patrimony of France. She deploys this work to develop a critique of the way in which post-war France dealt with the consequences of the occupation. In doing so, Karlsgodt makes an important contribution to our understanding of patrimony in France and to postwar interpretations of resistance." -- Donald Reid *
European History Quarterly *
"Campbell Karlsgodt does a fine job with the historiography of Vichy, offering concise summaries of a rich literature and providing important information in a succinct manner. She also has a knack for explicating evocative moments. . . This is a cogently argued, well-researched, and elegant book. . . Campbell Karlsgodt has made an important addition to this burgeoning literature." -- Jonathan Petropoulos *
American Historical Review *
"In this exceptional work, Karlsgodt shows how even before the fall of the Third Republic, French officials struggled to preserve the nation's artistic patrimony using the powers of the state . . . Special note should be taken of Karlsgodt's use of previously unavailable primary sources and her attention to the larger ethical issues her study raises . . . Highly recommended." -- S. Bailey *
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