In November 2019, Anna Bottinelli (an alumna of the Courtauld Institute of Art and John Cabot University) was nominated the Foundation's new President. Terrorism, natural disasters, budget shortages, and perhaps the greatest danger of all---complacency, have also claimed far too many cherished works of art, monuments, and religious objects that had survived for centuries to the betterment of our civilized world.

The Foundation staff is constantly reviewing its records, and those it periodically receives from interested parties, to further verify and update this roster and the information contained therein.

Nothing comparable has happened in any war since. "[60] The award was presented by the 43rd President of the United States, George W. [71][72] It follows an Allied group from the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program who are tasked with finding and saving pieces of art and other culturally important items before Nazis destroy them during World War II after the 'Nero Decree. The Foundation created 345 individual biographies of the Monuments Men and Women, detailing their lives, military service, and achievements. Many had expertise as museum directors, curators, art historians, artists, architects, librarians and educators. '[73], The film stars an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. "[34], 2009 - Based in part on the research of the Foundation, it was established in 2009 that two paintings on display at SMU’s Meadows Museum,[35] created by Spanish master Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618-1682) were stolen from the Rothschild family in Paris in 1941. The Monuments Men Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization created to raise worldwide awareness about the service of the Monuments Men and Women. The Monuments Men were a group of American and British men and women---museum curators, art historians, librarians, architects, even artists---responsible for preserving the artistic and cultural achievements of western civilization from the destruction of war and theft by the Nazis.
In 2021, the Museum will open its Liberation Pavilion housing the Monuments Men Gallery. In 2007, the Monuments Men Foundation was the recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the United States’ highest honor for work in the humanities. But young art professionals as well as ordinary heroes fought back with an extraordinary effort to safeguard, rescue and return the millions of lost, hidden and stolen treasures.

[75] The Monuments Men was co-produced by Columbia Pictures (in association with 20th Century Fox) and Babelsberg Studio and grossed $155 million worldwide against a $91 million budget. The Rape of Europa tells the epic story of the systematic theft, deliberate destruction and miraculous survival of Europe's art treasures during the Third Reich and the Second World War.

Our staff regularly provides assistance to an ever-increasing number of students and educators who wish to learn more about the Monuments Men and Women and is working on creating more resources to assist a variety of related research. and specify which of the books you'd like to receive, your mailing address and the name for the dedication. In October 2018, the Monuments Men Foundation transferred its archives to The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, our nation’s official WWII Museum. All requests to access this material should be sent to Ms. Toni Kiser at toni.kiser @ nationalww2museum.org. [59] The award cited it for "sustained efforts to recognize the contributions of the scholar-soldiers of the Second World War. [15] On October 22, 2015, after nine years of tireless work, the Foundation succeeded in having the United States Congress present the Monuments Men and Women, of all 14 nations, with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States.