The Central Collecting Point in Munich: A New Beginning for the Restitution and Protection of Art

Iris Lauterbach
Translated by Fiona Elliott
Introduction by James J. Sheehan  

At the end of World War II, the US Office of Military Government for Germany and Bavaria, through its Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives division, was responsible for the repatriation of thousands of artwork, looted by the Nazis in the countries they had occupied. With the help of the US Army, massive numbers of objects were retrieved from their wartime hiding places and inventoried for repatriation.

This fascinating history documents the story of the Allies’ Central Collecting Point (CCP), set up in the former Nazi Party headquarters in Munich, where the confiscated works were transported to be identified for restitution. Iris Lauterbach presents her archival research on the events, with meticulous attention to the official systems, frameworks, and bureaucratic enterprise of the Munich CCPin the years from 1945to 1949. She uncovers the stories of the people who worked there at a time of lingering political suspicions; narrates the research, conservation, and restitution process; and investigates how the works of art were returned to their owners.

Iris Lauterbach is a researcher at the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich and teaches at the Technischen Universität in Munich.

“This book is a fitting tribute to the rich history and significant accomplishments that played out at the CCP Munich.”
—Jonathan Petropoulos, The Journal of Modern History

“Lauterbach’s The Central Collecting Point in Munich gives us a welcome insight into a captivating episode of its postwar history.”

—Mary-Ann Middelkoop, Museums Journal

“A thrilling examination of the work of the ‘Monuments Men’ at the end of the Second World War.”
—Apollo

“This title provides a balanced and informative overview of the subject. The prose style and numerous photographs bring the difficult and important work of the Monuments Men to life.”
—Alexander Adams Art

“Iris Lauterbach has combed through reams of archival material and her book is one of the most complete accounts of the CCP that has ever been written.”
—Times Literary Supplement