Oral History Collection from the Archives of American Art   /     Otto Wittmann 1981 interview excerpt

Description

Otto Wittmann (1911-2001) was a curator and director of the Toledo Museum of Art from 1959-1976. During World War II, Wittmann served as a Major with the Air Force but was later transferred to the Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) in Washington, D.C. under the Office of Strategic Services. As an ALIU official, Wittmann assisted with looted art recovery in Paris and Munich, investigated transactions in Sweden and Switzerland, and worked with the collection centers in France. In this excerpt, Wittmann talks about his work restituting art looted by the Nazis.

Summary

Otto Wittmann (1911-2001) was a curator and director of the Toledo Museum of Art from 1959-1976. During World War II, Wittmann served as a Major with the Air Force but was later transferred to the Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) in Washington, D.C. under the Office of Strategic Services. As an ALIU official, Wittmann assisted with looted art recovery in Paris and Munich, investigated transactions in Sweden and Switzerland, and worked with the collection centers in France. In this excerpt, Wittmann talks about his work restituting art looted by the Nazis.

Subtitle
Otto Wittmann on the Art Looting Investigation Unit and postwar restitution work
Duration
4:13
Publishing date
2013-11-22 12:00
Link
http://www.aaa.si.edu/assets/audio/podcasts/monuments-men-AAA_otto-wittman-1981.mp3
Contributors
  Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
author  
Enclosures
http://www.aaa.si.edu/assets/audio/podcasts/monuments-men-AAA_otto-wittman-1981.mp3
audio/mpeg