Watch a special two-part series that exposes the secret criminal network dealing in Nazi art theft during World War II.

In the decade leading up to 1945, it’s estimated that the Nazis stole one-fifth of all artwork in Europe – the majority from Jewish families and other “undesirables” – in a culture war that was designed to rewrite European history. But that was just the beginning. A new two-part “Secrets of the Dead” special reveals the secret networks of curators and dealers, many of them Nazis like Bruno Lohse (the “Plunderer”) who made fortunes on the back of Nazi-looted art, perpetuating a decades-long war crime that has never been fully exposed or resolved.

Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief premieres on Wednesdays, February 19-26, 2025 at 10/9con PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/secrets and the PBS App.

Historian Jonathan Petropoulos, the John V. Croul Professor of European History at Claremont McKenna College, investigates the life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse, Hermann Göring’s one-time “man in Paris.” Petropoulos conducted multiple interviews with Lohse over the course of nearly 20 years until the German’s death in 2007.

To uncover the truth about the extent of the Nazi-looting operation, and just what role Lohse played, Petropoulos also speaks with gallery owners, curators, art investigators, Lohse’s close friends, and descendants of victims of Nazi art theft. Looking at breathtaking masterpieces and an extensive archive of personal letters, “Plunderer” reveals the dark underbelly of the international art world, much of it built upon wartime tragedy.

“Nazi art looting was the greatest art scandal of the 20th century,” said Petropoulos. “I had no idea the shocking discoveries this investigation would uncover, nor the tangled mess I was getting myself into.”

“While some of the reveals are thrilling, it’s important to remember that most of the looted art has never been recovered and most of those involved have suffered no consequences,” said producer John S. Friedman. “My hope is that this documentary will spark an interest in helping these families regain their lost pieces, which, for them, mean more than just the art’s monetary value – it also represents a link to their past.”

Watch: “Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief” premieres on Wednesdays, February 19-26, 2025 at 10/9con PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/secrets and the PBS App.

Please help us congratulate Chris Bell for winning Overall First Place in the December 2024 PleinAir Salon, for the oil landscape painting “Dawn’s Grace.”

This round was judged by Diane Waterhouse of Waterhouse Gallery. “I liked the composition,” she said, “the light, shadow, and warmth the painting radiates with the late afternoon sun, and I liked all the details in the foreground.”

“As a painter and teacher, I have a desire to share my vision and experiences with others. I want to paint scenes so that they convey a reality filled with emotion and inspire the viewer to observe their surroundings in new ways. We live in a fast-paced world, and I’m afraid we sometimes fail to fully appreciate the light falling upon our town, the towering clouds on a summer day, or the common interactions between people and their environment. I relish the challenge of responding to these moments in paint. My efforts on linen give me an opportunity to savor the splendor of our world and hopefully pass along this joy to others.”

From his website:

Chris’ ancestors settled in the mountains of western North Carolina in the early 1800s, where he was born on his family’s farm along the Little Tennessee River in 1989. Although no one in his family were “painters,” they were people who made things with their hands. These farmers, blacksmiths, carpenters, mechanics, seamstresses, etc. instilled in him an appreciation for craftsmanship and a sentimentality toward the landscape. Throughout his childhood, Chris was constantly drawing and with the encouragement of others, he began to develop his gift. After high school, he forewent a university art education and instead became an apprentice to the English-born artist Julyan Davis in Asheville, NC. Working closely with Davis, Chris received a foundation in studio craft and art history upon which he has applied countless hours in the studio.

As a result of the Great Recession, Chris became a witness to the struggles of artists in the Asheville area and received a unique education as he saw creatives adapting to the changing environment. As his time with Davis came to an end, Chris enrolled at Western Carolina University. He earned degrees in education and history and became both a social studies teacher and art teacher. However, he was determined to continue to paint and build a career as a professional artist. His teaching salary bought paint, supplies, and travel opportunities while he worked to find his voice as an artist.

Today, Chris is a prolific artist who is constantly inspired by his surroundings in the Carolinas and his travels abroad. He is greatly influenced by the various manifestations of Impressionism, from the Russian school to the California Impressionists of the 20th century.

About the PleinAir Salon:

In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The PleinAir® Salon rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.

Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.

The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.

Please help us congratulate Andrew Judd for winning Overall First Place in the November 2024 PleinAir Salon, judged by artist Dean Mitchell.

“Art has been my lifelong passion since I first discovered it in high school,” Andrew says. “I pursued this passion by majoring in Illustration at The Ontario College of Art. After graduation, I spent five years working in a commercial studio as an illustrator before transitioning to freelance work.

“However, over time, my heart became increasingly drawn towards painting, and I decided to focus on it full time. My wife and I had a wonderful opportunity to live in Vienna, Austria, for several years. During this time, I spent many days painting in the city’s beautiful cafes. Being in Europe was a transformative experience for me as an artist, leaving a profound and indelible mark on my painting style.”

About the PleinAir Salon:

In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The PleinAir® Salon rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.

Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.

The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.

We’d like to congratulate Kyle Ma for winning Overall First Place in the October 2024 PleinAir Salon art competition, judged by Ned Mueller.

“Wow, this fine work of art covered everything that I think goes into making a great painting: concept, design, color and, in this case, atmosphere, as it is a landscape painting,” Ned said. “The idea of the arroyo leading our eye back into the middleground and background; the great drawing skills and arrangement and shapes of the rocks, dirt and bushes – their chroma and temperature so beautifully orchestrated and giving us the beauty of that violet mountain and little group of clouds. What is there not to like about this masterpiece!”

About Kyle Ma:

Kyle Ma (b. 2000) developed a love for art at an early age after being exposed to the works of the old masters through museums and art history books. Kyle says that painting allows him to express his viewpoint of our world. In 2010, Kyle moved with his family to Austin, Texas where he began to seriously study oil painting under Elizabeth Locke. Here, Kyle learned the importance of having a solid foundation in the fundamentals to be a successful representational artist. Kyle also took workshops around the country with master artists to further his art education.

Kyle holds a BS in Geology from the University of Texas at Austin but the success of his first solo show (Wilcox Gallery, 2016) encouraged him to choose to pursue art as a career. He enjoys painting en plein air since it allows him to be immersed in the landscape during the process of creating. Kyle believes it reinforces the idea of making careful observations and seeking to understand these observations, a skill Kyle feels is extremely important in art.

Kyle’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the country, and has received several awards including the gold medal in the 30th annual Oil Painters of America National Show. Additionally, Kyle is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America, Plein Air Painters of America and member of Salmagundi Club. Kyle was also featured in Southwest Art Magazine, Art of the West Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, Western Art Collector Magazine, and American Art Collector Magazine. Kyle teaches workshops around the world and has presented at Plein Air Convention and Portrait Society of America’s conference. “Painting, to me, is an extremely passionate experience. I paint as much as I can, and hope that I can communicate with the viewer what I saw and how I felt each time that I pick up a brush.”

About the PleinAir Salon Art Competition:

In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The PleinAir® Salon rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.

Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.

The next round of the PleinAir Salon art competition has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.

View more artist and collector profiles here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.

We’d like to congratulate Susan Patton for winning Overall First Place in the September 2024 PleinAir Salon, judged by Kathie Odom.

“The story is front and center on this special painting,” Kathie said. “The idea is so out-of-the-box, even though this is everyday life for some. The best of edges, shapes, value, composition, movement… all there!! I love, love, love this painting!”

Behind the Scenes of “Still Stirring (at 93)”

By Susan Patton

My Inspiration

My grandmother, who I painted in this picture, and my grandfather, whom I called “Pop,” lived right up the hill from me when I grew up, and I kept a trail to their house year-round. My grandfather and my uncle, who lived with them, farmed the land around my home. I used to ride the combine and the bean truck to take the crop to the grain elevator with Pop and Uncle Dale. Gran (shown in this painting, “Still Stirring (at 93)”) would be home writing down the exact time of the sunrise and what the farmer guys were up to that day and the high and low temp on a calendar hung inside the kitchen cabinet door as she stirred together some lunch for the farmers and her “grands.”

I remember Pop turning up the glass of iced tea to get the last bit of tea (with a bit of lemonade added to it) and gulping it and then sitting the glass back down and getting up from the table, finding his hat, and going back to work. Years passed and my grandfather became ill with Alzheimer’s. He would walk down the road to find “home” and my uncle would follow him in the car a ways before pulling up next to him and offering a ride. He would thank him as he pulled back in the drive, then go in and take off his hat and sit down for a few minutes, then pick up his hat and start back again. After a long hard bout, my uncle and my grandmother made the decision to put him in a nursing home. But every morning my grandmother could be found in that same spot in the kitchen. She would fix his lunch, and my uncle would feed him and shave him, every day.

Eventually, he passed – to a new land where I’m sure he found a place for his hat, at Christ’s feet – because after his diagnosis but before he was really bad he asked my grandmother how to be saved. She said tears ran down his face as he asked Christ as his Savior. (His mother was a devout prayer warrior and I imagine it was her prayers answered – even at his old age.)

My uncle and my grandmother are left in the house now, but my uncle still farms – in multiple gardens instead of multiple acres. He can be found taking okra, tomatoes, and zinnias to the neighbors. Not sure what he does with all those tomatoes. My grandmother can be found “still stirring” up something for him to eat but with his help in getting stuff for her and as a sidekick in the kitchen. I found them the other day working together putting up pears.

I did this painting as a tribute to my grandmother, Ida Bell Stone Morgan, who today, at 99 now, can be found carefully “still stirring” around, and “stirring up” something to eat as she serves her family purely out of love.

Technically Speaking

This painting flowed fairly easily from start to finish. It was painted alla prima, in one sitting. My familiarity with the subject allowed me to paint how I saw the scene in my mind – as I saw it nearly every day of my childhood.

I began this piece by applying a layer of transparent dark wash and then wiping out the lights. I remember how Gran’s hair and posture seemed to just appear. I remember adding the details on the stove but not on her face because her posture and arthritic hand told volumes.

On Winning in the Monthly PleinAir Salon

My first thought was, “Did I read that right?” But mostly, winning this award with this particular painting of my grandmother means the world to me. I have recently been planning to put together a book of paintings and writings that record memories of my childhood that others can relate to, so this award has just confirmed this calling. I am so grateful!

If You’re Considering Entering the PleinAir Salon:

Enter! I have entered multiple times. You just never know!

My art education began with watching my artist mother, Dot Courson, and then continued through professional workshops with master artists across the US. I have an art studio in North Mississippi. I am also a Registered Physical Therapist and worked in that field for 20 years, but I have been working full-time as an artist and workshop instructor for the past six years. I never went to art school, but I love teaching art as much as painting. I think it is because I love people, and people are my favorite subject to paint.

Connect with Susan Patton: www.susanpattonart.com

About the PleinAir Salon:

In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The PleinAir® Salon rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.

Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.

The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.

The American Plains Artists has announced the winners of their 2024 Signature Art Show that opened at the Prairie Arts Center in North Platte, Nebraska.

From the organizers:

A large, continuous crowd enjoyed seeing this impressive display of artworks. Winning Best of Show was “Rattlesnake Glen,” an oil painting by Charlie Bullock of Athens, TX.

The Publisher’s Award of Excellence sponsored by Art of the West magazine went to “Morning Glow on the Bosque” by Lloyd Voges of Clifton, TX.

And the Publisher’s Award of Excellence Artist Focus sponsored by Western Art Collector was won by “Smokin’,” a bronze by Mary Michael of Harlowton, MT.

The North Platte Award went to “The Stillness of the Land” by David Dorsey of Valentine, NE.

The Golden Spur Award (APA Signature Members Choice) went to “Gentle Nudges” by June Dudley of College Station, TX.

The Arrowhead Award (chosen by the hosting facility) was “Jack Scratch,” a bronze by Sherry Blanchard Stuart of Scottsdale, AZ.

Winning the Plainsman (People’s Choice) Award was “These Few Precious Days,” a colored pencil by Eileen Nistler of Upton, WY.

The public is encouraged to view the show online at www.americanplainsartists.com.

The River Arts District (RAD) in Asheville, North Carolina has been decimated by historic flooding. Most of the 26 buildings experienced catastrophic destruction including art and the supplies and equipment used by creators.

The Artists for RAD auction takes place online now through October 26, 2024. Browse all of the artworks and bid here on paintings by Anne Blair Brown, Kyle Buckland, Richard Oversmith, Dawn Whitelaw, Jason Sacran, Larry Moore, Joe Gyurcsak, Lori Putnam, Roger Dale Brown, and more.

Richard Oversmith coordinated this auction to raise money for the artists who have lost everything at their studios in the River Arts District. He says, “I hope you will take a look and bid on anything that catches your fancy. There are some great works in here and it goes to a great cause. Please bid often!”

From the auction organizers:

We will be working to restore the creativity and inspiration of our beloved River Arts District. Our goal is to assist our artists as best we can with rent and supplies. The only way this is possible is with your support.

The goal of the art auction is to raise money to benefit the artists and businesses of the River Arts District in Asheville, NC. As you may know, the RAD was devastated by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene and could use our help.

Visit the Artists for RAD auction now.

We’d like to congratulate Thomas Kegler for winning Overall First Place in the August 2024 PleinAir Salon, judged by David Ethridge, owner and curator of Gallery 1261 in Denver, Colorado.

“I chose Thomas Kegler’s ‘Mid Summer Night, Romans 5:4’ for first place due to its captivating portrayal of a tree at night,” said David. “The masterful use of light and shadow creates a compelling mood, imbuing the scene with a narrative quality that invites repeated viewing.”

Thomas Kegler on “Mid Summer Night, Romans 5:4”

Nocturnes have always held a special place in my heart. This painting started as a concept to capture a summer night walk under a clear full moon through a forest using a mature oak tree as the anchor, drawing up feelings of both wonder and trepidation.

I developed this composition from memory, striving to capture an almost dreamlike quality while celebrating the character and animation of this ancient tree. I used many past field sketches of trees to begin small thumbnail explorations before completing small “etude.”

These small oil color studies help ensure the composition and colors are in order before embarking on the full sized work. The intentional absence of the moon itself allowed me to use/direct the implied moon’s light to turn the form of the large tree mass. This also provided the cast shadows to lay down a pattern on the trunk and forest floor that would amplify the contours of the tree and slanted hillside.

Painting night scenes also lends itself to self-harmonizing color shifts due to the limited palette. Although I limited the colors to the blue family, I juxtaposed both warm (violet-blues in the tree and ground) and cool ( blue-greens in the sky) variations in the scene. I was inspired by both Frederick Remington (for his nocturne color harmonies) and N.C. Wyeth (for his characterization of trees).

The title is left intentionally ambiguous as to encourage the viewer to “read into” the painting. I always add a Bible verse as part of my titles as a way of inviting people to open The Book, read it, ponder it, and hopefully make a connection. They are not intended to be taken literally, but as a nudge to delve deeper into connections between the verse, the image, and themselves.

I typically finish a painting and spend some time considering the meaning behind the work. For this painting it was perseverance and hope. Then I delve into researching verses that touch upon these themes. One will always jump out. The life story of this oak tree aligned well with the verse Romans 5:4: “and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

These spiritual approaches to art parallel the mid-1800 Hudson River School painters that used elements of nature and the landscape as metaphors and narratives to guide the viewer to the divine … humbly attempting to point upward while celebrating the beauty of God’s creation in the American landscape.

Additional Paintings:

Connect with the artist at thomaskegler.com.

About the PleinAir Salon:

In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The PleinAir® Salon rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.

Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.

The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.

View more artist and collector profiles here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.

At the close of the 43rd Annual Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale (BBAS), bidders raised their paddles for more than $1.45 million in artwork between the weekend’s Live Auction, Quick Draw, and Silent Auction events. According to auctioneer Troy Black, who has officiated the sale for decades, this was the highest total in BBAS history and the first time that the Live Auction alone has surpassed $1 million in sales.

More from the organizers:

Out of 104 total Live Auction lots, 98 sold for an exceptional sell-through rate of 94% by lot. The night’s highest selling price for a 2-dimensional piece was $48,875 after buyer’s premium. The piece, Sally Maxwell’s colored scratchboard of a mountain lion crouched atop a stark black-and-white background entitled “Nuance or Nothing is Just Black and White,” brought in more than double its estimated value of $17,500. Maxwell’s piece also claimed the distinction of People’s Choice, voted on by more than 1,500 visitors to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in recent weeks.

Those weren’t the only wall pieces subject to bidding wars, as Ty Barhaug’s oil painting of the Shoshone River valley’s nearby South Fork entitled “Lighting the Valley Floor” sold for $37,375 with buyer’s premium after being estimated to sell for only $6,000.

The highest-selling 3-dimensional piece was a figurative bronze by Vic Payne entitled “The Walk of Tombstone,” which brought in $40,250 with added buyer’s premium.

Saturday morning’s Quick Draw event featured 29 BBAS artists who, in only 90 minutes, created original pieces of artwork while more than 600 attendees observed the process. Artists showed their newly completed artwork on the runway and bidders snapped up all 29 pieces, as well as an artist’s apron signed by all participating artists.

Sculptor Chris Navarro created a sculpture of a bull moose with a woodpecker resting on its antler entitled “Woody and the Moose.” Bidders at the Quick Draw were eager to purchase multiples of the piece, which will be cast in bronze later this year. Navarro’s work commanded the sale of 25 copies of the piece at $1,725 each after buyer’s premium, a particularly strong showing for a Quick Draw sculpture.

“An event like this would not be possible without support from the whole Cody community. To every artist, patron, partner, sponsor, employee, vendor, and volunteer, thank you for your incredibly generous contributions that led to a wildly successful 43rd Art Show & Sale” said Jennifer Thoma, CEO of the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce.

BBAS is an invitational Western fine art sale that offers works relating to the land, people, and wildlife of the American West. Artists offer a broad range of stylistic interpretations of the West in a variety of mediums.

Please visit RendezvousRoyale.org for more information.

We’d like to congratulate Mark Daly for winning Overall First Place in the July 2024 PleinAir® Salon, judged by artist Michele Dunaway.

“I was struck instantly by the luminosity emanating from this painting,” Dunaway said. “It captures a sense of realism and light that goes far beyond anything a camera could record. The artist’s sensitivity to color and color temperature in the sails coupled with the simplification of water, highlighting only the essential functional movement complements the dynamic composition.

“This painting exudes an old master quality, and I could see it hanging in a museum next to Winslow Homer or Turner and holding its own. The touch of red off center hits right where the smallest square and spiral of the golden mean would overlay which adds for a harmonious balance and movement to the painting.

“The technique and brushwork is subtle where it needs to be and powerful and bold in necessary areas. When a painting is executed so well that it makes me interested in a subject that I’m not normally drawn to, it is a testament to the artist’s impressive skill.”

“My purpose for painting is to create joy,” says Mark Daly in his Artist Statement. “I paint city, boat, beach, and other memorable scenes by orchestrating people and places, sunlight and shadow, sea and snow, into visual stories.

“I start an oil painting by making sure there is a good design. I interpret, simplify, and connect the big shapes. I work the whole painting—uniting all parts to reinforce the composition while avoiding getting lost in unessential details. I provide enough visual clarity and drawing accuracy so that the viewer can understand the subject and add their own interpretation of the scene.

“I focus on values and expressive paint application. This helps me create an in-the-moment sense of light, mood, and movement in my work. I use all five senses when painting. For example, with a musical background, I consider how a painting should look and sound. This enables me to add more life to my compositions.

“My goal is to create art with the highest standards that stands the test of time.”

About the PleinAir Salon:

In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The competition rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.

Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.

The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.