Art has been around since the very beginning of the human race. Even when the first humans were living in caves, they were drawing pictures on cave walls. Then the ancient Egyptians used drawings, known as hieroglyphics, as their means of writing and had elaborate and beautiful art in pyramids and other structures.
Because art has played such an important part of the culture and history of the human race, it comes as no surprise that there are some historical moments in which art played a major part. The following are 5 examples of when art was front and center when it comes to history.
Stolen Paintings: Art has been stolen throughout history. Two of the worst examples are when the Nazis stole millions of dollars worth of art and a brazen robbery of a Boston museum. The Nazis stole art throughout their conquered countries and intended to have one grand museum full of the masterpieces. When it became inevitable that they would lose the war, they began to destroy the pieces. Thanks to the efforts of the Monuments Men, many of the pieces were saved, though, unfortunately, some were destroyed or lost.
In 1990, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was the scene of a robbery that included the loss of half a billion dollars worth of paintings, including three Rembrandts, a Vermeer, a Manet, and sketches by Edgar Degas. Now, 25 years later, the paintings have still not been recovered and no one has been arrested for the crime. As an article on NPR stated, the museum “houses a world-class art collection. But in the last two decades it’s been better known for the art that isn’t there.”
Have other examples of when art and history intertwined? Want to discuss the examples we chose? Please comment below.
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