Nazi Art Theft: The History of Germany's Confiscation and Destruction of European Artworks during World War II

Looting and the acquisition of plunder have long been crucial features of war. Removing an enemy's portable wealth is a way of ensuring they lack the resources to create a new army while making it possible for members of the victorious army to be suitably rewarded. In the past, that plunder tended to be in the form of coinage, precious stones, gold, and silver. The removal of artwork for its own sake (rather than for the intrinsic value of the materials from which they were made) was relat...