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Goering's lost art

As Hitler's right-hand man, Hermann Goering committed some of the most horrific crimes in history. Yet he surrounded himself with beauty, exploiting his power to loot some of the world's most fantastic works of art and using them to to adorn the walls of Carinhall, his country retreat near Berlin.

Now, for the first time, all the paintings have been documented, after a seven-year research project.

Photographs of every painting ever possessed by Goering will be published in April in a book that is expected to become an essential research tool for the world's museums. As well as shedding light on Goering as a historical figure, scholars hope the archive will help in the ongoing battle to return looted art to its rightful owners and their decendants.

The project, by Nancy Yeide, head of curatorial records at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, has already found that Goering amassed around 2,000 looted works of art – at least 700 more than had been previously thought. Ms Yeide scoured wartime archives in the US and Germany, as well as Goering's letters to his dealers and auction catalogues...

Read entire article at Independent (UK)