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a14 people & arts
Thursday 24 March 2022
Monuments Men group bets on playing cards to find lost art

By JAMIE STENGLE do to reunite one of these
Associated Press works with the heirs, it’s an
DALLAS (AP) — A group important thing,” McKeogh
dedicated to finishing the said.
work of World War II’s Mon- Robert Edsel, founder and
uments Men is betting on chairman of the Monu-
a deck of playing cards — ments Men foundation,
and reward money — to said that for those who do
help find missing works of realize they own looted art,
art taken by the Nazis. “this is a chance for people
Inspired by the U.S. military’s to do the right thing, to
history of creating playing come forward, to address
cards related to missions, the problem.”
the Dallas-based Monu- Edsel started the founda-
ments Men Foundation for tion in 2007 to honor the
the Preservation of Art on Monuments Men, the group
Wednesday announced of men and women from
the creation of the deck fo- Allied countries, many with
cusing on works — includ- art expertise, who served
ing paintings, sculptures during WWII to protect cul-
and reliquaries — they be- tural treasures as battles
lieve still exist. waged, and after the war
“What is needed is to raise Anna Bottinelli, president of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, displays helped return artwork plun-
awareness about what is playing cards at the organization’s office in Dallas, Monday, March 21, 2022. dered by the Nazis to the
missing,” said Anna Botti- Associated Press rightful owners.
nelli, the foundation’s presi- to feature, which include leans, is a nod to a U.S. mili- for,” McKeogh said, noting He has written several
dent. “Because you might those by Vincent van tary tradition that includes that the Nazi’s looting was books on the Monuments
know of a friend who has Gogh, Caravaggio and a deck featuring the most- “on a scale that is really Men, including one that
a beautiful painting on the Claude Monet. wanted fugitives from the hard to comprehend.” the movie “The Monuments
wall and you don’t even One, a pastel by Edgar De- Iraq War and one from McKeogh said that in some Men” starring and directed
question that that painting gas titled “Portrait of Mlle. WWII designed to help sol- cases, people haven’t real- by George Clooney was
belongs to someone else.” Gabrielle Diot” that was diers identify aircrafts, Bot- ized an artwork’s past until based on.
The group, which is offering taken by the Nazis from a tinelli said. taking it to a gallery or an The foundation gets fre-
rewards of up to $25,000 home in France in 1940, is FBI Special Agent Chris- auction house. quent calls from people
for information leading to known to have been sold topher McKeogh, a New “In those cases, we’ll take wondering about objects
the recovery of each cul- in the mid-1970s to an un- York-based member of the steps to seize it and hope- from the war, and has over
tural object featured in the known Swiss collector. agency’s Art Crime Team, fully repatriate the art- the years helped return
deck, will highlight a few of “Many of these have resur- said he thinks there’s a mis- work,” McKeogh said, add- more than 30, including a
the cards each week on faced in the recent past — conception that because ing that once such a history 16th century tapestry taken
their social media. even as late as 2008 — in it’s been nearly 80 years is uncovered, “owners are by a U.S. officer from Adolf
Bottinelli said the founda- auctions,” Bottinelli said. since the end of the war, usually very willing” to have Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest retreat
tion worked with museums, The deck, being sold that most of the missing art it returned. near the end of the war.
law enforcement and own- through the foundation has been found. “We can never undo the The officer’s family gave
ers of lost art as they nar- and the National World “There’s still a lot of artwork atrocities of the war, but the tapestry to a German
rowed down which works War II Museum in New Or- to still be on the lookout any little thing that we can museum in 2016.q

Rick Astley celebrates his 1987 debut album

with reissue

“With me, it’s like, song one ined versions of the album’s naïve.” when a promised link on a
— Boom! No.1 all over the original singles. “Never Gonna Give You website turns out instead to
world,” he says via Zoom. Astley was only 20 and 21 Up” spent two weeks at No. be an Astley video — but
“I was just trying to write while recording “Whenever 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot making his peace with it.
something that you could You Need Somebody” with 100 and “Together Forev- Shortly after the anniversary
sing along to in the chorus.” the songwriting and record er” spent a week atop the release of his debut album,
That song was “Never Gon- production trio known as same chart. The songs “It Astley will join New Kids on
na Give You Up” — on his Stock Aitken Waterman, Would Take A Strong Strong the Block, Salt-N-Pepa, and
Singer Rick Astley poses for 1987 multi-platinum debut who had crafted songs for Man” and “She Wants To En Vogue for the 57-date
photos in New York on Aug. 9, album “Whenever You Bananarama and Dead or Dance With Me” also made “Mixtape 2022” U.S. arena
2016. Need Somebody” — that Alive. it into the top 10. Listening tour. He credits “Whenever
Associated Press
went from radio earworm “I was just happy to be in to it again, the album fits You Need Somebody” for
By MARK KENNEDY to internet prank sensation. a professional recording today’s ‘80s-vibing, dance all of it, for basically making
AP Entertainment Writer It’s been 35 years since studio, making noises with soundscape very well. his career.
NEW YORK (AP) — Most Astley’s debut and BMG is guys who were having hit He would make more al- “The overwhelming thing
pop stars take some time marking the anniversary in records,” says Astley, who bums, leave the business is just gratitude. If I’m hon-
before they hit the big time, May with a two-CD set and came from a small town for many years and then est, it’s simply that. I’ve had
putting out a few albums digital release that boasts in the north of England. He reemerge with the strong a really nice, comfortable
before one sticks. With Rick the remastered original al- knew nothing about the albums “50” in 2016 and existence because I got
Astley, it took just his first bum plus B-sides, remixes recording process. “I was “Beautiful Life” in 2018, to make a pop record in
song. and Astley’s own reimag- inexperienced, I guess, and dogged by rick-rolling — 1987.”q