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Rose Antonia Maria Valland (1 November 1898 – 18 September 1980) was a French
art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
, member of the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
, captain in the
French military The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...
, and one of the most decorated women in French history. She secretly recorded details of the
Nazi plunder Nazi plunder (german: Raubkunst) was the stealing of art and other items which occurred as a result of the Art theft and looting during World War II, organized looting of European countries during the time of the Nazi Party in Germany. The loot ...
ing of National French and private Jewish-owned art from France; and, working with the French Resistance, she saved thousands of works of art.


Early life

Valland was born in
Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs (; literally 'Saint-Étienne of Saint-Geoirs') is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère departments of France, department in southeastern France. It is the hometown of Rose Valland, who saved thousands of work ...
,
Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.école normale'', a teacher school. She graduated in 1918, with the plan of becoming an art teacher. She studied art at the
École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...
, graduating in 1922. Valland then topped the competitive exam for art teacher training and underwent two years of training at the
École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...
in Paris, graduating in 1925. Afterward, she became a high school drawing teacher, but began to study art history at the
École du Louvre The École du Louvre is an institution of higher education and grande école located in the Aile de Flore of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. It is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology and epigraphy. Admission is ...
and the
University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...
. She graduated in 1933 with a special diploma from the École du Louvre, and engaged in graduate studies at the
Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment (''grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris ne ...
. In 1932, Valland became a volunteer assistant curator at the Jeu de Paume Museum.


World War II

In 1941, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Valland was put in paid service and became the overseer of the Jeu de Paume Museum at the time of the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
occupation of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Through the "Special Staff for Pictorial Art" (Sonderstab Bildende Kunst) of the ''
Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg The Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce (german: Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg or ''ERR'') was a Nazi Party organization dedicated to appropriating cultural property during the Second World War. It was led by the chief ideologue of the Nazi Par ...
für die besetzten Gebiete'' (The Reich Leader Rosenberg Institute for the Occupied Territories), or ERR, the Germans began the systematic looting of artworks from
museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
s and private
art collection A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, ...
s throughout France. They used the Jeu de Paume Museum as their central storage and sorting depot pending distribution to various persons and places in Germany. While the Nazi plundering was being carried out, Rose Valland began secretly recording as much as possible of the more than 20,000 pieces of art brought to the Jeu de Paume Museum. Valland kept secret from the Germans the fact that she understood
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
. In fact, she never formally studied the language, but some trips in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s had helped her to get a good grasp of a then widely used scholarly language. Valland would converse with truck drivers employed by the Germans, and she was thus able to learn about artwork being ransacked and taken directly to the railway stations. Valland regularly informed Jacques Jaujard, the Director of the Musėes Nationaux, about the status of Nazi art looting. In addition, for four years she kept track of where and to whom in Germany the artworks were shipped and risked her life to provide information to the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
about railroad shipments of art so that they would not mistakenly blow up the trains loaded with France's priceless treasures. The museum was visited by high-ranking Nazi officials, and Valland was there when Reichsmarschall
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
came on 3 May 1941 to personally select some of the stolen paintings for his own private collection.


Train 40044

On 1 August 1944, a few weeks before the
Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germ ...
on 25 August 1944, Valland learned that Heinrich Baron von Behr, the head of the ERR in France, was planning to remove to Germany as much artwork as he could, including many of the modern paintings which they had hitherto neglected. Valland learned that the trucks which had collected the artworks were heading to the
Aubervilliers Aubervilliers () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, Île-de-France region, northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Albertivillariens'' or ''Albertivillariennes''. Geography Localisati ...
train station on the outskirts of Paris. By the 2 August 1944, 148 crates of paintings containing in total 967 paintings, including works by Braque, Cézanne, Degas, Dufy, Gauguin, Modigliani, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec and Utrillo had been loaded on five
goods wagons Goods wagons or freight wagons (North America: freight cars), also known as goods carriages, goods trucks, freight carriages or freight trucks, are unpowered railway vehicles that are used for the transportation of cargo. A variety of wagon type ...
waiting to be hooked up to another 48 goods wagons containing confiscated furniture and personal possessions of deported citizens. Fortunately, these other goods wagons had not yet been loaded which meant the train never left the station on schedule. Valland was able to give a copy of the Nazi shipment order to Jaujard, which listed the train and goods wagon numbers, the contents of each crate and the destination of each goods wagon (either to Kogl Castle at Sankt Georgen im Attergau in Austria and the Nikolsburg depository in Moravia.) This information Jaujard passed on to the Resistance. By the 10 August, the train was ready to depart but by then the French railway workers were on strike. However, two days later the tracks were cleared and being delayed by higher priority trains carrying fleeing Germans and their personal possessions. The train which had the designation 40044 departed hauling a total of 53 wagons. The overloaded train reached Le Bourget before it suffered a mechanical breakdown. By the time the Germans had fixed the problem 48 hours later, the French Resistance had derailed two trains which blocked the tracks up ahead leaving the train stranded at
Aulnay-sous-Bois Aulnay-sous-Bois () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department in the Île-de-France region in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aulnaysiens'' o ...
. Following the arrival of the Second Armored Division of the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
in Paris a small detachment under the command of lieutenant André Rosenberg (the son of exiled art dealer Paul Rosenberg) was sent on the 27 August to check out and secure the train. After ejecting some old German soldiers who were escorting the shipment they opened up some of the crates and found many paintings which Rosenberg had last seen hanging on the walls of his family's apartment in Paris. Finding two crates pillaged and an entire collection of silvers missing it was arranged for 36 crates to be sent to the Louvre for safekeeping. However to Valland's frustration it was another two months before the remainder of the crates were removed from the train and transferred to a secure location.


Post World War II

Following the liberation of Paris by the Allied Forces, Valland was initially arrested as a suspected Nazi collaborationist, because she had been employed at Jeu de Paume. She was soon released once her conduct had been vouched for. Trusting no one but Jaujard, she initially hesitated to share her records. After Jaujard had put her in touch with Captain
James Rorimer James Joseph Rorimer (September 7, 1905 – May 11, 1966), was an American museum curator and former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he was a primary force behind the creation of the Cloisters, a branch of the museum dedicated t ...
of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program it took months of relationship building before she decided to turn over her most important records. The information Valland was able to supply led to the discovery of multiple repositories of looted art in Southern Germany, most prominently at Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps, where more than twenty thousand works of art and cultural objects were found. She oversaw the return of 1,400 crates of artwork from Neuschwanstein Castle direct to the Jeu de Paume. Valland's records would later assist in speeding up the return of looted artworks to their rightful owners. To assist in her efforts to locate stolen works of art and return them to France, Valland applied for and received a commission first as a lieutenant and then captain in the French First Army on 4 May 1945. She served in Germany for eight years, initially as a member of the "Commission for the Recovery of Works of Art" (Commission de Récupération Artistique) where she was the French government's liaison of the occupation zone in Germany. Displaying initiative, Valland approached German military staff (whose names she had recorded while at the Jeu de Paume) and was able to confirm the location of several additional, previously unknown repository sites. Valland was a witness at the Nuremberg trials in February 1946 where she confronted Hermann Goering about the artworks he had stolen. In 1946 Valland was put in charge of the Fine Arts activities for the French Oversight Board where she assisted in the recovery of numerous paintings, sculptures, precious coins, and tapestries belonging to France. In a 2013 report to the French Senate, it is estimated that due to the efforts of Valland, it had been possible for the Commission de Récupération Artistique and the Allies to locate approximately 60,000 works, with three-quarters of them returned to France before 1950. Upon her return to France in 1953, Valland was appointed a conservator of the French Musées Nationaux and in 1954 was named Chair of the "Commission for the Protection of Works of Art" (Chef du Service de protection des oeuvres d'art). In 1961, she wrote about her wartime experiences in a book published under the title, ''Le front de l'art'' (republished in 1997). Valland retired in 1968 but continued to work on restitution matters for the French archives. Her valor and dedication resulted in numerous awards from her own and other countries. From the French government Valland received the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
, was made a Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters and was awarded the
Médaille de la Résistance The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...
. Following its creation in 1951, Valland received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the
Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
."Rose Valland"
Monuments Men Foundation, Retrieved 20 March 2014.
The United States awarded Valland the
Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
in 1948. Valland died in 1980 and was buried in her hometown of Saint-Etienne-de-Saint-Geoirs. In 2003, the central square in Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs, was renamed Place Rose Valland. The Collège Rose Valland, located at 1 rue Pierre de Coubertin in her home town, is also named in her honor. The Association de la Mémoire de Rose Valland, which was established to honor her memory, is based on Place Rose Valland in her hometown. On the initiative of the Association de la Mémoire de Rose Valland, a commemorative plaque honoring Valland was unveiled on 25 April 2005 on the façade of the Jeu de Paume. A stamp was released by the French postal service in her honor in 2018. The French Ministry of Culture and Communication (Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication) has a web portal, called Site Rose Valland Service des musées de France, which lists recovered artworks held in French national museums.


Personal life

Following the end of the Second World War Valland began a relationship with Joyce Helen Heer (1917-1977), a Liverpool born secretary-interpreter at the Embassy of the United States. The two women shared an apartment on rue de Navarre in the
5th arrondissement of Paris The 5th arrondissement of Paris (''Ve arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''le cinquième''. The arrondissement, als ...
. The relationship ended upon Heer's death of breast cancer whereupon she was interred in Valland's family vault.


In popular culture

The 1964
John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits were ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), ''The Manchurian Candidate'' (1 ...
film '' The Train'' was loosely based on her book, and includes a character named "Mlle Villard". Valland's role in preserving the stolen art was discussed as part of the 1994 book and 2006 documentary, '' The Rape of Europa''. In 2006, Valland was the subject of Corinne Bouchoux's biography ''Rose Valland: Resistance at the Museum''. In Sara Houghteling's 2009 novel, ''Pictures at an Exhibition'', the character of Rose Clément is based on Rose Valland. In 2009 Valland was also one of the main subjects of
Robert M. Edsel Robert Morse Edsel (born December 28, 1956) is an American businessman and author. He has written three non-fiction books - ''Rescuing Da Vinci'' (2006), '' Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History' ...
's book ''The Monuments Men'', which would later serve as the basis of the 2014 film of the same name. Valland was an inspiration for the character of Claire Simone, portrayed by
Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...
in the George Clooney-directed film ''
The Monuments Men ''The Monuments Men'' is a 2014 war film directed by George Clooney and written and produced by Clooney and Grant Heslov. The film stars an ensemble cast including Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh ...
'', released in February 2014. In
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France, in her memory, two commemorative plaques were inaugurated : one in front of the Musée du Jeu de Paume, in the
Jardin des Tuileries The Tuileries Garden (french: Jardin des Tuileries, ) is a public garden located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. Created by Catherine de' Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in ...
, and the second on the building where she lived with Joyce Heer, in the 5th arrondissement. A Parisian street is also named after her in the 17th arrondissement. Other streets are named after her in several French cities, as in
Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
. The French government also made a rose and a stamp in her memory.


See also

* Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives *
List of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) personnel This is a list of personnel who participated in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied armies between 1943 and 1946. "Expertise" attempts to indicate each person's bac ...
*
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
* List of Legion of Honour recipients by name (V) * List of foreign recipients of the Legion of Honour by country * Legion of Honour Museum


References


Further reading

*Bouchoux, Corinne. ''Rose Valland: résistance au musée''. La Crèche: Geste, 2006. In French *Catel, Emmanuelle Polack, and Claire Bouilhac. ''Rose Valland''. arcinelle (Belgique) Dupuis, 2009. In French. *Edsel, Robert M., and Bret Witter. ''The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History''. New York: Center Street, 2009. *Nicholas, Lynn H. ''The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War''. New York: Viking Press, 1980.
''The Collector'' - Rose Valland: Art Historian Turned Spy To Save Art From Nazis


External links

*
Association "La Mémoire de Rose Valland"Rose Valland (1898 - 1980)
''Monuments Men Foundation''
Photo_of_Edith_Standen
_and_Rose_Valland_with_art_to_be_restituted_to_France,_1946_May.html" ;"title="Edith Standen">Photo of Edith Standen
and Rose Valland with art to be restituted to France, 1946 May">Edith Standen">Photo of Edith Standen
and Rose Valland with art to be restituted to France, 1946 May Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Artful Collaborators: James J. Rorimer and Rose Valland
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Rose Valland, la résistante oubliée
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valland, Rose 1898 births 1980 deaths People from Isère French art historians LGBT historians French Resistance members Female resistance members of World War II École des Beaux-Arts alumni Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Medal of Freedom Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Recipients of the Resistance Medal Monuments men Women art historians French women in World War II French women historians 20th-century French women Lesbian military personnel French LGBT people