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Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland
Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland | Michelle Young
6 posts | 3 read | 1 reading | 9 to read
A riveting and stylish saga set in Paris during World War II, The Art Spy uncovers how an unlikely heroine infiltrated the Nazi leadership to save the world's most treasured masterpieces.On August 25, 1944, Rose Valland, a woman of quiet daring, found herself in a desperate position. From the windows of her beloved Jeu de Paume museum, where she had worked and ultimately spied, she could see the battle to liberate Paris thundering around her. The Jeu de Paume, co-opted by Nazi leadership, was now the Germans' final line of defense. Would the museum curator be killed before she could tell the truth--a story that would mean nothing less than saving humanity's cultural inheritance?Based on troves of previously undiscovered documents, The Art Spy chronicles the brave actions of the key Resistance spy in the heart of the Nazi's art looting headquarters in the French capital. A veritable female Monuments Man, Valland has, until now, been written out of the annals, despite bearing witness to history's largest art theft. While Hitler was amassing stolen art for his future Fhrermuseum, Valland, his undercover adversary, secretly worked to stop him.At every stage of World War II, Valland was front and center. She came face to face with Reichsmarschall Hermann Gring, passed crucial information to the Resistance network, put herself deliberately in harm's way to protect the museum and her staff, and faced death during the last hours of Liberation Day.At the same time, a young Free French soldier, Alexandre Rosenberg, was fighting his way to Paris with the Allied forces battling to liberate France. Alexandre's father was the exclusive art dealer for Picasso, Matisse, George Braque, and Fernand Lger. The Nazis had taken everything from their family--their art collection, their nationality, their gallery, and their home in Paris. Vivid and atmospheric, The Art Spy moves from the glittering days of pre-War Paris, home to geniuses of modern culture, including Picasso, Josephine Baker, Coco Chanel, Le Corbusier, and Frida Kahlo, through the tension-riddled cities and resorts of Europe on the eve of war, to the harrowing years of the Nazi occupation of France when brave people such as Valland and Rosenberg risked everything to fight monstrous evil.In the spirit of Hidden Figures, with the sweeping narrative of The Rape of Europa and the depth of The Resistance Quartet, The Art Spy is an extraordinary tale of a female hero whose courage and tenacity in a time of violence and terror is an inspiration for us all.
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kspenmoll
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Breezy afternoon, cloudy. Feels refreshing. Reading. #booksandbeverage #porchlife

LiteraryinPA I‘m outside too and it finally doesn‘t feel like you‘re stepping into a sauna every time you go outside! Fall is cominggggggg! 2w
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kspenmoll
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Under Rose Valland‘s direction, 119 paintings were crated to be trucked to Chambord. During the next several days, 165 more paintings were evacuated. 524 paintings, 100 sculptures, & the museum‘s archives were locked in the museum‘s basement.Large sculptures were then secured in its gardens. All the museums in France attempted to save what they could in similar ways. The magnitude of these evacuation plans is astounding (71-72).

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kspenmoll
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People choices to actively fight against a regime like Hitler‘s always result in my questioning of myself: would I be so committed to, so brave? I really don‘t know. Rose Valland chose to outwit the Nazis to save France‘s art, passed critical information to the Resistance& faced death.I know of her, but am excited to read this well researched biography. #grateful #libraryfind #resist

TheBookHippie Sounds good! 3w
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Mpcacher
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Pickpick

This is the true story about a woman in Paris who risked her life during WWII to try and save what art and cultural treasures she could from being stolen by the Nazis. She went about her job at the Jeu de Paume Museum, trying to not draw attention to herself, as she secretly had contacts with the French Resistance and documented what she saw. Probably more suited to the art lover as it is very detailed, it is yet a fascinating read. 3.75/5 stars

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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Rose Valland fought to be in the art world in the 1930s and of course wasn‘t taken seriously as a woman. She then found herself serving as curator at a Paris museum when WWII erupted. This is her story and how she gathered info on where the Nazis were sending artworks right under their noses. It‘s a terrific read and I‘m so glad I now know her story.

TrishB This sounds good 👍🏻 1mo
Aims42 Well this sounds amazing! Stacked! 📚 1mo
kspenmoll Just got this out of the library- excited to read it! 3w
Hooked_on_books @kspenmoll Woohoo! You‘re in for a treat! 3w
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Reecaspieces
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Pickpick

💙📚BOOK REVIEW IS UP! 💙📚

⭐️⭐️THE ART SPY BY MICHELLE YOUNG⭐️⭐️

⭐️QUICK THOUGHTS⭐️

⭐️Very well researched.

⭐️Rose Valland saved the world‘s art.

https://reecaspieces.com/2025/05/23/the-art-spy-by-michelle-young-nonfiction-aud...

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