In the years leading up to World War II, prominent French Jews invested their fortunes in France's cultural artifacts, sacrificed their sons to the country's army, and were ultimately rewarded by seeing their collections plundered and their families deported to Nazi concentration camps. In this evocative account, James McAuley traces the story of figures familiar from the writings of Proust and others the Camondos, the Rothschilds, the Ephrussis, the Cahen d'Anvers and shows how these Jewish art collectors attempted to celebrate the very nation that would later betray them
Focusing on contemporary politics, this comprehensive textbook provides students with an in-depth exploration of the dynamics between state and society in the United Kingdom. It covers essential themes and current issues, ensuring a thorough understanding of the political landscape and its implications for society today.
A powerful history of Jewish art collectors in France, and how an embrace of art and beauty was met with hatred and destruction In the dramatic years between 1870 and the end of World War II, a number of prominent French Jews--pillars of an embattled community--invested their fortunes in France's cultural artifacts, sacrificed their sons to the country's army, and were ultimately rewarded by seeing their collections plundered and their families deported to Nazi concentration camps. In this rich, evocative account, James McAuley explores the central role that art and material culture played in the assimilation and identity of French Jews in the fin-de-siècle. Weaving together narratives of various figures, some familiar from the works of Marcel Proust and the diaries of Jules and Edmond Goncourt--the Camondos, the Rothschilds, the Ephrussis, the Cahens d'Anvers--McAuley shows how Jewish art collectors contended with a powerful strain of anti-Semitism: they were often accused of "invading" France's cultural patrimony. The collections these families left behind--many ultimately donated to the French state--were their response, tragic attempts to celebrate a nation that later betrayed them.
