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Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus
Original language
English

BELONGING AND BETRAYAL

Charles Dellheim

How Jews Made the Art World Modern

The story of dealers of Old Masters, champions of modern art, and victims of Nazi plunder.

Since the late-1990s, the fate of Nazi stolen art has become a cause célèbre. In Belonging and Betrayal, Charles Dellheim turns this story on its head by revealing how certain Jewish outsiders came to acquire so many old and modern masterpieces in the first place – and what this reveals about Jews, art, and modernity. This book tells the epic story of the fortunes and misfortunes of a small number of eminent art dealers and collectors who, against the odds, played a pivotal role in the migration of works of art from Europe to the United States and in the triumph of modern art. Beautifully written and compellingly told, this story takes place on both sides of the Atlantic from the late nineteenth century to the present. It is set against the backdrop of critical transformations, among them the gradual opening of European high culture, the ambiguities of Jewish acculturation, the massive sell-off of aristocratic family art collections, the emergence of different schools of modern art, the cultural impact of World War I, and the Nazi war against the Jews.

Charles Dellheim is professor of history at Boston University. He is the author of The Face of the Past: The Preservation of the Medieval Inheritance in Victorian England and The Disenchanted Isle: Mrs. Thatcher's Capitalist Revolution.
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Published 2021-09-01 by Brandeis University Press

Comments

"Those who enjoy history and art historywill enjoy this deep dive."

“[An] exceptional work of scholarship A brilliant account of Nazi pillage and the ongoing efforts at restitution.” (starred review)

Best of 2021: Our Favorite Nonfiction The selection of 100 of the best nonfiction books of the year—from hundreds of worthy choices—is both stressful and rewarding. You'll find the complete list here, and I'm especially excited to share 10 books from small publishers that made the top 100 this year, each one a unique and important contribution to literature. Here's what our reviewers had to say about them. 1. Belonging and Betrayal: How the Jews Made the Art World Modern by Charles Dellheim (Brandeis Univ. Press, Sept. 21): “A scholar tells the story of 20th-century art dealers, the avant-garde and old masters works they promoted, and Nazi plunder. A brilliant account of Nazi pillage and the ongoing efforts at restitution.” Read more...

"a sweeping, magisterial study... Dellheim is a master story-teller as he interweaves the histories of an extra-ordinary cast, including the Wildensteins, the Duveens, the Rothschilds, and an array of artists, from Pissarro to Modigliani. Belonging and Betrayal is a tour de force." - Jonathan Petropoulos, author of Goering's Man in Paris: The Story of a Nazi Art Plunderer and His World (2021) "This is a magisterial book. Wide-ranging yet closely focused, detailed yet suspenseful, it should be required reading for all who make art or collect it. Gracefully written and sumptuously illustrated throughout, Belonging and Betrayal is an important--even indispensable--contribution to the field." -- Nicholas Delbanco, author of Why Writing Matters "A major contribution to understanding a profound Jewish goal to belong and succeed, only to be betrayed by willful acts by Nazis and their collaborators. This impressive book will engage you, surprise you, anger you, and above all, enrich you." -- Richard I. Cohen, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, author, Jewish Icons "Brilliantly evocative and deeply researched, Charles Dellheim's Belonging and Betrayal is a superb addition to the ongoing discussion on art ownership, theft, and restoration." -- David H. Lynn, editor emeritus of The Kenyon Review