Dr. Petropoulos Reveals Secrets of Nazi Looters, Movie Shooters

On Wednesday, October 15, Professor Jonathan Petropoulos of Claremont McKenna College delivered a fascinating lecture on Nazi Looted Art. Entitled “The ‘Real’ (and Reel) Monuments Men, the Gurlitt Cache, and the Continuing Challenges of Nazi Looted Art,” Dr. Petropoulos delivered a lecture that few other scholars could have, as one attendee noted.Petropoulos has spent the bulk of his career researching what became of many priceless works of art that were looted from Europe, namely Paris, by Nazis during World War Two. During frequent trips to Europe, he conducted interviews with many former Nazi soldiers, getting to know them on a personal level and hearing first-hand of the decadence they experienced during the War. Dr. Petropoulos also spent some time de-bunking myths that were in George Clooney’s film The Monuments Men, released in February.The lecture, hosted at the UA Hillel Center, was part of the Sally and Ralph Duchin Campus Lecture Series. For a schedule of upcoming lectures, click here.