2636 - The Great Escape: Saving the Louvre’s Treasures from the Nazis (Michael McDavid)
Course Description
Instructor: Michael McDavid
As the likelihood of war steadily increased in 1939, the French government and the director of the Louvre, Paris’ largest and most renowned museum, decided that the museum in the heart of the city should be evacuated and its treasures hidden, out of reach of Nazi “collectors” and German bombs. In a scenario worthy of novels and the cinema the priceless treasures of the museum were secretly packed, loaded on trucks, and spirited out of the city. Ultimately the paintings, statuary, and other objects spent the war safely hidden away in various sites around the country. In this one-session course we will look at the personalities responsible for this amazing, little-known feat and how they were able to bring it off. It’s quite a story.
Bio: Michael McDavid grew up in Greenville, SC, and has lived in Atlanta for the past 50 years. He has been interested in history since the second grade. His interest in food is even older. Over the years his primary historical focus settled on Europe; although if it happened in the past, it was of potential interest. Michael majored in history as an undergrad at Furman University then received masters degrees in European history and library science from Emory University. He was a library manager
at Equifax Inc and Georgia State University. During that time to satisfy his historical itch Michael taught history at Georgia Perimeter College as an adjunct faculty member. Now after retiring from the Boston Consulting Group, he is privileged to offer courses at Emory’s OLLI program on a variety of history-related topics.