In 1944, with the Allies closing in on Paris, the Nazis packed hundreds of Rosenberg’s paintings onto a train to Germany. This train was hijacked by the Free French Army, and this precious haul was saved. One of the soldiers who stormed the train was Rosenberg’s son, Alexandre. This incident became the inspiration for the classic war film, The Train.
In 1944, with the Allies closing in on Paris, the Nazis packed hundreds of Rosenberg’s paintings onto a train to Germany
After the war, Paul Rosenberg toiled ceaselessly to reassemble his collection. About 400 paintings had gone missing. Eventually, laboriously, he retrieved over 300.
This exhibition features some of the many paintings he bought and sold, throughout his career. From Impressionism to Cubism and beyond, it’s an amazing cross-section of modern art.
Highlights include Picasso’s tender portraits of Rosenberg and his family, and Profil Bleu devant la Cheminee by Matisse, which was stolen by Goering and subsequently ended up in Oslo, until the Rosenberg family reclaimed it a few years ago.
However this show is more than just a collection of great paintings. There’s lots of interesting stuff about Rosenberg’s gallery, and his friendship with Picasso, but the best part is about the Nazi era, and the German occupation of Paris.
There’s even a recreation of the Nazis’ Degenerate Art exhibition, juxtaposing ‘Aryan’ paintings from Hitler’s art collection (not entirely without merit, but all terribly samey) with ‘degenerate’ works by German artists like Franz Marc.
These juxtapositions show that modern art is a celebration of individuality. Hitler’s ‘Aryan’ paintings could have all been painted by the same artist. Each of these ‘degenerate’ artworks is unique.
