Monumental misfire: Art, diplomacy, and restitution in occupied Japan, 1945-1949

Emery, Jack Ford

Item

Monumental misfire: Art, diplomacy, and restitution in occupied Japan, 1945-1949

Emery, Jack Ford

Date

2025-07-29

Abstract

This thesis explores the under-studied actions of the Monuments Men and Women in Japan and Asia following World War II. While it follows the wartime iteration, the Monuments Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) Division, the primary focus remains the successor group, the Arts and Monuments (A&M) Section during the occupation of Japan. I argue that despite a severe manpower shortage and an equally severe lack of familiarity with Asian art and culture, the A&M helped rebuild not only the Japanese art scene but helped turn Japan from a bitter enemy to a close American cultural ally. This progress, however, came at the cost of art restitution to victim Allied nations. Not only did the Monuments Men and Women struggle to find a balance that kept the Japanese cultural scene alive during restitution, but they also contended with their own colonialist bias and a new Cold War consensus that superseded restitution.