The Louvre in the Second World War

Nazi Germany maintained a department devoted to seizing the assets of the countries it defeated. A special task force, the ERR, was charged with plundering works of art for Germany, confiscating them as spoils of war. Museums were emptied and collectors stripped of their holdings. To prevent this at the Louvre, Jacques Jaujard, then Director of the National Museums, devised an escape plan for the palace's collections.

Prepared well in advance, he strategically arranged for the works to vanish, even the most monumental ones, so that they could elude both the German authorities and those of the Vichy government then in power. His experience evacuating the Prado Museum during the Spanish Civil War, and moving its collections to safety in Switzerland, gave him a crucial head start. Jaujard's genius lay in his diplomacy: with the help of accomplices, he not only protected the Louvre's works but outwitted the French government, despite being a civil servant himself. The secret was so well kept that when the German army surrendered, the museum's treasures were able to come home.
 

It is almost impossible to picture moving the Louvre's 4,000 pieces in secret. Some were colossal in size, others weighed tons, and there was no question of damaging the fragile objects or tearing a canvas. This could not be done overnight: in reality, it took several years to disperse the works across France. Most were kept at the Chateau de Chambord, in the Loire valley.

The story of how the Louvre's collections were saved long remained a mystery. Jaujard stayed discreet about how the operation was organised, despite its success and the decisive role he played for his country.