2027 IT Fine Arts Study Guide - Section One: Answer Key

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Monuments Men, the MFAA, Nazi art looting, and related World War II events from Section One of the 2027 IT Fine Arts Study Guide.

MFAA

An organization considered an "extraordinary experiment" because it marked the first time an army fought a war while comprehensively attempting to mitigate damage to cultural treasures.

Monuments Men

Soldiers uniquely tasked with saving rather than destroying cultural heritage, who made temporary repairs to hundreds of churches and monuments upon entering battered cities.

General Eisenhower's Letter to Commanders

A communication stating that the good name of the army depended in great measure on the respect it showed to the art heritage of the modern world.

Western Allies (World War II)

The coalition consisting of France (defeated by Germany, liberated by USA), England (aka Britain), the United States of America, Russia (Soviet Union), Canada, and Italy (which surrendered to the Allies in September 1943 and declared war on Germany).

Axis Powers (World War II)

The wartime alliance that included Germany, Japan, and Italy (from 1940 until 1943).

Captain Posey's Letter

A correspondence expressing the endearing hope that his son and friends would not have to fight another war once Germany and Japan lost and "learned their lesson."

Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria

The institution that rejected Adolf Hitler's application, leading him to believe the selection process was directed by Jewish jurors and fueling his long-term resentment.

"Degenerate" Art

The term used by Adolf Hitler to describe modern art, which he claimed was created by "sick minds" and would corrupt the minds of German citizens.

Disposal of Modern Art (Nazi Germany)

The removal of modern art from German museum walls by order of Nazi leaders, followed by its trading, burning, or sale on the international art market to raise money.

Gemäldegalerie Linz (Führermuseum)

Hitler's planned museum intended to house a priceless collection of art in his hometown of Linz, Austria, an idea conceived while viewing masterpieces in Florence, Italy.

St. Mary's Basilica

The church in Poland from which the Veit Stoss Altarpiece was stolen by the Nazis.

Veit Stoss Altarpiece

A major art piece stolen from St. Mary's Basilica in Poland to help stock Hitler's planned museum in Linz, Austria.

Rothschild Banking Dynasty

A prominent family whose art holdings, along with private collections of Austrian Jews, were confiscated by the Nazis to stock the planned museum in Linz.

Nazi Anti-Jewish Property Laws

Legal changes enacted in Western Europe that stripped Jewish people of their rights to own property, facilitating widespread Nazi art looting.

Dr. Hans Posse

A German art historian and museum curator appointed by Adolf Hitler to expand the collection of paintings and other art objects intended for the "Führermuseum" in Linz, Austria.

Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring's Orders (November 5, 1940)

A six-tier order establishing priorities for Jewish art treasures: 1) Hitler claims desired art; 2) Göring gets second choice; 3) materials go to German universities or ERR; 4) ERR inventories and transports museum art; 5) French-desired art is auctioned for French war widows and children; 6) ERR handles remaining Jewish-owned art.

ERR

The Nazi organization designated in Göring's orders to inventory, pack, and transport art appropriate for German museums and to handle other Jewish-owned art treasures.

Captain Deane Keller

A 42-year-old Monuments Man who felt a paternal instinct toward younger soldiers because they were the same age as his art students at Yale University and reminded him of his young son at home.

Operation Husky

The successful invasion of Sicily, Italy by U.S., British, and Canadian forces that resulted in the removal of Fascist leader Benito Mussolini.

German Reaction to Italy's 1943 Surrender

Hitler's deployment of German troops across Italy to slow Allied forces, which placed Italy's vast quantities of art, monuments, and churches at risk of destruction.