Dealers & Collaborators: The Famous and Infamous Art Houses of WWII (Parts 1 and 2)

What was the art market like during the years of WWII? Today, we are more aware of the Nazi thefts, we celebrate the find of a lost object and the success of restitution claims. 

Yet, what happened to the art dealers who attempted to protect their collections or of the artists they helped to shield and support? Which dealers collaborated with the Nazis in order to gain safety, financial reward or power? Join in examining the art houses of Paris, the Wildenstein family, Gertrude Stein, and others who directed the fate of art.

This two-part lecture will examine the lives of those dealers as we peel back the veneer of staged auctions and forged provenance. The impact of actions by the dealers and collaborators continue to affect the art world to this day.

The lectures can be taken independently of each other.

Christine Maasdam holds a Master in Humanities and a B.A. in Cultural Geography. Her art studies include The Courtauld Institute of Art in London, Post Graduate studies in Antiquities Trafficking and Art Crime at the University of Glasgow. Maasdam is a member of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection.

Registration is required. Each independent, 2-hour lecture is $10.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for people age 50 and older. All two-hour lectures in the FABulous Summer Lecture Series are open to all ages.

Register

Register by Aug. 19 by 1 p.m.