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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 cultural legacy of the West. 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 Fuhrermuseum, 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. She also singlehandedly provided information to stop the last train of looted artworks--bearing paintings by Picasso, Monet, Cezanne, Gauguin, Braque, Degas, Modigliani, and Toulouse-Lautrec--from leaving France. 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 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. ...
Commentaire
"Vivid popular history spotlighting a neglected heroine." - Kirkus Reviews
"Journalist Young recaps the exploits of French Resistance hero Rose Valland in this thrilling saga... Readers will relish this riveting tale of a clever war hero playing the long game against bumbling fascists." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"As a valiant and effective member of the French Resistance and a leading Monuments Officer in the postwar period, museum curator Rose Valland did more to combat the Nazis' art plundering program and to remedy its devastating effects, than any figure of the time. Michelle Young's deeply-researched biography breaks new ground and captures the drama of the curator's life. Valland put herself in grave danger in order to save France's cultural patrimony, and resist tyranny - a story that continues to inspire today." - Jonathan Petropoulos, author of Göring's Man in Paris: The Story of a Nazi Art Plunderer and His World
"The story of Valland's courage and dedication to art and justice is compelling and inspiring... Ideal for fans of espionage and strong narrative nonfiction that reads like a compelling novel." - Library Journal (starred review)
One of Publishers Weekly's Top Nonfiction Summer Reads Picks for 2025 - Publishers Weekly
"Rose Valland rises from the first page of The Art Spy, bearing witness to and doing everything in her power to thwart the Nazi plunder of France's artistic heritage. Underlying her heroic efforts was her unshakable love of artistic beauty and a determination to preserve it. In life she kept the beam of interest away from herself and aimed towards the art she tried to protect; now, because of Michelle Young's extraordinary research and vivid storytelling, we come to know Rose herself. A remarkable and timely portrait of courage." - Natalie Dykstra, author of Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner
"Young recounts Valland's brilliance, courage, and sangfroid in enthralling detail as she chronicles her daring work to save the museum's treasures and her shrewd spying for the Resistance... like Valland's zealous rescue of stolen masterpieces, Young vibrantly restores a hidden treasure to the pantheon of WWII heroes." - Booklist (starred review)
"Michelle Young shines new light on the heroic French curator Rose Valland... Young, an award-winning journalist, has an energetic and novelistic writing style... featuring dramatic cliffhangers and vivid sensory details that enhance the historical events." - New York Times Book Review
"Young does a nice job setting up Valland's career and bravery to justify exuberant claims about her daring exploits..." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Rose Valland wasn't just a passive observer. She was a resistor, a spy and a tactical genius... Young's approach to telling this story capture[s] the layered complexity of Valland's mission." - St. Louis Jewish Light
"A gift to history buffs and art mavens." - Newsday
"In the meticulously researched and beautifully written The Art Spy, Young brings to life a forgotten heroine of World War II, one who richly deserves this posthumous portrayal. Rose Valland's courage and ingenuity in the face of Nazi brutality is staggering, as is the shocking extent to which the Germans hunted down, looted, sold, and even burned irreplaceable works of art, many of which have never been recovered. A must read, and highly recommended." - Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue
