Art: Home from the Salt Mines

The director of Munich's Alte Pinakothek, Dr. Ernst Buchner, was ready for World War II the day it came. Years before, he had sought out and established Alpine hideaways for his masterpieces. When war was declared on Sept. 3, 1939, Buchner closed the doors of the museum and got his master plan rolling to save one of the finest collections of paintings in the world, including 74 Rubenses, 10 Rembrandts, 26 Van Dycks, 15 Dürers, 10 Titians, 12 Tintorettos, 9 Veroneses, choice works by Giotto, Raphael. Botticelli, Goya, El Greco, Velasquez, Poussin. More...