George Clooney, known more for his acting skills than his directing, has shown a keen interest in exploring lesser-known chapters of American history through his occasional directorial projects. From the early days of the NFL to the racial tensions in Levittown and even delving into the hidden past of The Gong Show creator Chuck Barris as a CIA assassin, Clooney’s films have covered a wide range of subjects. One such film from a decade ago is The Monuments Men, featuring an ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Clooney himself, portraying Allied soldiers on a mission to recover art stolen by the Nazis during World War II.
The Monuments Men is inspired by real events, loosely based on the recovery efforts of the Monuments Men during the war. In a new Great Art Explained video, galley owner and YouTuber James Payne delves into the story behind one painting from the series of daring Expressionist artist Egon Schiele, titled Boats Mirrored in the Water, that remains missing to this day.
Before the war, the painting belonged to Vienna cabaret star Franz Friedrich “Fritz” Grünbaum. While not labelled as “degenerate art” like some of Schiele’s other works, it was still subjected to the organized theft by the Nazi regime known as “Aryanization.” After the war, a significant portion of Grünbaum’s collection went up for auction in Switzerland in 1956, with the whereabouts of the painting becoming unknown.
The painting resurfaced in 1990 when it was sold to an unidentified private collector and has not been seen since. While this may not resemble a Hollywood ending, the real-life efforts of the Monuments Men in repatriating stolen art continue to this day. In recent times, a German court even awarded a portrait by Schiele’s idol Gustav Klimt to the son of its original owner, highlighting the ongoing pursuit of justice for stolen artworks.
Related content:
New Digital Archive Will Feature the Complete Works of Egon Schiele: Start with 419 Paintings, Drawings & Sculptures
How Jan van Eyck’s Masterpiece, the Ghent Altarpiece, Became the Most Stolen Work of Art in History
Take a Virtual Reality Tour of the World’s Stolen Art
The 16,000 Artworks the Nazis Censored and Labeled “Degenerate Art”: The Complete Historic Inventory Is Now Online
Great Art Explained: Watch 15 Minute Introductions to Great Works by Warhol, Rothko, Kahlo, Picasso & More
Colin Marshall, based in Seoul, writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. His projects include the Substack newsletter Books on Cities and the book The Stateless City: a Walk through 21st-Century Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall or on Facebook.
