The Secret Trade Routes of Hitler's Stolen Masterpieces

Video Description

What happened to Hitler's horses? On this episode of Arts Unveiled, we take a look back at the fascinating investigation which led to the recovery of the statues after disappearing for 80 years and explore the dilemma of dealing with nazi artworks.  The entire saga surrounding Hitler's horses unfolded like an enthralling art crime thriller, moving from Berlin to Amsterdam and the United States, landing on the black market for millions and their recovery. The characters involved make for a colorful and gripping story: an elderly Berlin art collector, a Texan named Moss reminiscent of J.R. Ewing, a shady car dealer, a collector of Nazi memorabilia, a resourceful Berlin detective, and perhaps the world's most renowned art detective. And let's not forget the nameless Soviet soldiers and Stasi who had a hand in the web of intrigue surrounding the statues.   Hitler's horses were created by one of Adolf Hitler's favorite artists, sculptor Josef Thorak, who received the commission in 1939 to create decorative pieces for the New Reich Chancellery's gardens. Thorak was among the 100 "God-gifted" artists, a legendary list compiled by the Nazis featuring artists they favored. In 1943, as British bombers set the German capital ablaze, Hitler concealed his beloved horses in the Oderbruch region. After Germany was liberated by the Allies in 1945, the horses found themselves in a Soviet barracks in Eberswalde, after that their trail went cold. It was only in 2013, when a Berlin collector received an offer to purchase the horses, that she recognized the explosive nature of the artifacts and alerted Police Commissioner Rene Allonge. He took up the case, delving into the whereabouts of the stallions. Dutch art detective Arthur Brand simultaneously investigated the matter, creating the persona of fictional Nazi art collector "Moss," a wealthy Texan collector of statues from the "Thousand-Year Reich." Brand and Allonge eventually joined forces and, after various twists and turns, cracked the case. The bronze statues were discovered during a raid in the summer of 2015 in the small town of Bad Dürkheim, north of Karlsruhe. The horses are now back in Berlin in the German capital's Zitadelle Spandau. But the question remains. What should be done with nazi art? Show it, store it, or exhibit it with historical context? Berlin has chosen the latter in the case of the horses, as most original works from that era were understandably destroyed to erase the memory of the Nazi regime.  #dwhistoryandculture #naziart For more visit: https://www.dw.com/en/culture/s-1441 ⮞ Follow DW Culture on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dw.culture ⮞ Follow DW Culture on Twitter: twitter.com/DW_Culture Please follow DW's netiquette: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G 00:00 Introduction 06:48 Hitler's Horses: Real or Fake 07:58 Were Hitler's Horses Saved? 11:27 How Hitler's Horses disappeared again 16:32 Hitler's Horses: A True Crime Story? 24:45 Hitler's Horses: A Hollywood Ending