Switzerland in the Art Looting Investigation Unit Red Flag List of Names

Art Market Network Visualisation for Swiss dealers:  focus Theodor Fischer
source: Art Looting Investigation Unit Final Report

The 1946 ALIU Final Report broke the Red Flag List Name down into ten separate geographical areas:  Germany, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy,  Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Luxembourg. 

The network was International and overlapped But the ALIU tried to identify important actors by country.

In this post, we will look at the ALIU's listings for Switzerland. 

The place where two networks intersect is extremely interesting.
Red Flag Names in the Switzerland section of the 1946 Art Looting Investigation Unit Final Report meet Red Flag Names that mention Linz in the description

So far we have looked at a few individual names and their networks as described in the 1946 report.

In this post we change focus to examine the links to a geographical area: Switzerland.  Note: we are using the ALIU units category "Switzerland" for this analysis.
(An alternative approach would be to include every Red Flag entry that mentions the word "Switzerland" or a city in the country of Switzerland. This second approach would capture individuals not of Swiss nationality who had links to Switzerland which could be useful.)

Map of ALIU Red Flag names from the section on Switzerland, using the location information in the 1946 report.

The original ALIU texts are attached to each red data point.

Zoom on Zurich art dealers (source: ALIU 1946 Final Report)

The only data cleaning was to correct three misspellings discussed in a previous post: Seira==> Skira; Caillier ==> Cailler; and Natman ==>Nathan). Otherwise the texts displayed are exactly as written  in 1946 by the OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit.

The ALIU entry for Tanner, President of the Federation of Swiss Art Dealers. The red marker is automatically located at Zurich, Bahnhofstrasse 29, the location included in the ALIU Final Report.

Above is the Art Looting Investigation Unit 1946 entry for Tanner, President of the Federation of Swiss Art Dealers.
Below is the ALIU 1946 entry for Neupert Galerie.

Galerie Neupert in Zurich "Father and son art dealers, in contact with Hofer, Haberstock, Lohse and Fischer" 
(source: ALIU final Report)

Albert Skira (which had been mistranscribed in the ALIU digital version as Seira) had a very long entry in 1946.

Albert Skira in Geneva: "Owner of publishing firm'Editions d'Art', on British and American Proclaimed Lists
(source: ALIU Final Report)

Below is the ALIU 1946 entry for Dr. Fritz Nathan (elsewhere misspelled as "Natman".)

Dr Fritz Nathan in St Gallen: "Adviser to Buehrle, and intermediary between Fischer, Hofer and Buehrle"
(source: ALIU Fnal Report)

Misspellings such as those for Nathan (Natman), Skira (Seira) and Cailler (Caillier) generate errors in network analysis and have to be corrected before generating intersecting network graphs.

Below is the cluster for Switzerland - that is, Red Flag names that were presented in the "Switzerland" section of the Final Report.

The list of Red Flag Names in the Switzerland section of the ALIU Final Report can be visualised as a network.

Which names to focus on? We can look at the number of mentions in both the ALIU Red Flag list and the Switzerland section of this list for suggestions:

ALIU RED FLAG	MENTIONS		ALIU SWITZERLAND	MENTIONS
schenker	155
hofer	152		hofer	19
err	139		fischer	15
goering	93		wendland	15
muehlmann	90		err	10
bornheim	56		reber	7
haberstock	56		rosenberg	7
lohse	50		buehrle	5
kunstschutz	47		angerer	4
goering’s	40		engel	4
wendland	40		lohse	4
dienststelle	33		matisse	4
wuester	32		stoecklin	4
angerer	25		frey	3
fischer	23		goering	3
schloss	23		neupert	3
dietrich	21		schmidlin	3
rochlitz	20		tanner	3
rosenberg	20		ascona	2
frapier	19		benzion	2
bauer	17		bernheim	2
voss	17		boehler	2
engel	16		buemming	2
posse	16		dreyfus	2
reber	16		haberstock	2
plietzsch	15		hirschland	2
dequoy	14		levy	2
loebl	14		montag	2
heerengracht	13		nathan	2
lange	13		oerlikon	2
mueller	13		raeber	2
martin	12		rochlitz	2
behr	11		skira	2
boehler	11		toepfer	2
charles	11		truessel	2
schmidt	11		veraguth	2
gurlitt	10		versoix	2
inquart	10		wuester	2
katz	10
lefranc	10
paech	10
scholz	10
wildenstein	10
kieslinger	9
bachstitz	8
boitel	8
buehrle	8
goepel	8
goudstikker	8
hamann	8
hermssen	8
petrides	8
poellnitz	8
postma	8
bunjes	7
devisenschutzkommando	7
fabiani	7
gritzbach	7
heinz	7
herbst	7
hitler	7
hoffmann	7
holzapfel	7
kajetan	7
lagrand	7
mandl	7
perdoux	7
poznan	7
weinmueller	7
bernheim	6
brueschwiller	6
friedlander	6
garin	6
gerard	6
jansen	6
kogl	6
leegenhoek	6
lippmann	6
manteau	6
mohnen	6
morandotti	6
rosenthal	6
rothschild	6
wolff	6

ALIU RED FLAG

MENTIONS

ALIU SWITZERLAND

MENTIONS

schenker

155

hofer

152

hofer

19

err

139

fischer

15

goering

93

wendland

15

muehlmann

90

err

10

bornheim

56

reber

7

haberstock

56

rosenberg

7

lohse

50

buehrle

5

kunstschutz

47

angerer

4

goering’s

40

engel

4

wendland

40

lohse

4

dienststelle

33

matisse

4

wuester

32

stoecklin

4

angerer

25

frey

3

fischer

23

goering

3

schloss

23

neupert

3

dietrich

21

schmidlin

3

rochlitz

20

tanner

3

rosenberg

20

ascona

2

frapier

19

benzion

2

bauer

17

bernheim

2

voss

17

boehler

2

engel

16

buemming

2

posse

16

dreyfus

2

reber

16

haberstock

2

plietzsch

15

hirschland

2

dequoy

14

levy

2

loebl

14

montag

2

heerengracht

13

nathan

2

lange

13

oerlikon

2

mueller

13

raeber

2

martin

12

rochlitz

2

behr

11

skira

2

boehler

11

toepfer

2

charles

11

truessel

2

schmidt

11

veraguth

2

gurlitt

10

versoix

2

inquart

10

wuester

2

katz

10

lefranc

10

paech

10

scholz

10

wildenstein

10

kieslinger

9

bachstitz

8

boitel

8

buehrle

8

goepel

8

goudstikker

8

hamann

8

hermssen

8

petrides

8

poellnitz

8

postma

8

bunjes

7

devisenschutzkommando

7

fabiani

7

gritzbach

7

heinz

7

herbst

7

hitler

7

hoffmann

7

holzapfel

7

kajetan

7

lagrand

7

mandl

7

perdoux

7

poznan

7

weinmueller

7

bernheim

6

brueschwiller

6

friedlander

6

garin

6

gerard

6

jansen

6

kogl

6

leegenhoek

6

lippmann

6

manteau

6

mohnen

6

morandotti

6

rosenthal

6

rothschild

6

wolff

6

We will gradually explore the different clusters within the Swiss and other networks in future posts.

For more on analysing art dealing networks, see also:

• Networks of Bruno Lohse
• Networks of Walter Bornheim
• Misspellings in ALIU Red Flag Names: Cailler Caillier Caillek; Skira Seira

Lootedart.com: https://www.lootedart.com/MVI3RM469661

(which obtained its information from NARA http://www.archives.gov/research/holocaust/art/ accessed 4 February 2008

Networks of Gustav Rochlitz

The OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit Red Flag List of Names contains twelve entries that mention Rochlitz as a direct link. Network graph produced by Google Fusion Tables from ALIU data filtered on "Rochlitz")

Gustav Rochlitz is mentioned in the entries for sixteen people in the 1946 Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) Red Flag List.

These are:
Bammann, Hans
Rademacher, Dr Bernard
Wuester, Adolf
Adrion, Philippe
Birtschansky, Zacharie
Cailleux, Paul
Duthey, Jean Paul Louis
Klein
Kuehne & Nagel
Landry, Pierre
Levy, Mlle
Petrides, O
Rosner, Isador (or Ignacy)
Thierry
de Trevise, Duc
von Frey, Count Alexander
Wendland, Dr Hans

How to analyse this network?

It is interesting to note that while the ALIU entries for the above names contain mentions of Rochlitz, the entry for Gustav Rochlitz in the ALIU Red Flag list does not, for practical reasons, mention any of his "many contacts". They are simply too many to fit in the limited space available in the ALIU Red Flag List. Rather the ALIU entry attempts to summarize Rochlitz' main roles and "most intimate" connections.

 Rochlitz's own ALIU Red Flag entry reads:

Rochlitz, Gustav: Art dealer, active in France prior to and during World War II in the interests of the Third Reich Chief participant in exchanges of paintings confiscated by the ERR, and important recipient of loot. Personal belongings and dealer’s stock stated to be at Todtmoos/Baden (in French Zone of Occupation), in the house of Edward Schupp Possibly removed by Lt Loos of the French Army to Loerach-Schopfheim Apart from Rochlitz’s many contacts in Paris, his two most intimate friends were E Ascher (rue Jacques Callot, corner rue de Seine) and M de Beurry (42 rue Ernest Cresson) formerly of the Paris police Rochlitz has been indicated by the French Government (Seine Tribunal, Judge Frapier) and is presently confined at Fresne Prison, Paris


The Rochlitz entry contains words such as "art dealer", "France", "World War II", "Third Reich", "paintings", "ERR", "loot", Todtmoos/Baden", "French zone of Occupation", "Edward Schupp", "French army" "Loerach-Schopfheim", "Paris", E Ascher", "rue Jacques Callot", "rue de Seine", "M de Beurry", "42 rue Ernest Cresson", "Paris police", "indicated" (a misspelling or mistranscription of "indicted"), "French government", "Seine Tribunal", "Judge Frapier", "Fresne Prison".

Many of these entities appear in other ALIU Red Flag entries and could, in their turn, serve to explore connected networks.

Would this be useful?

For example, if one filters ALIU Red Flag entries for "dealer", 213 names appear. Most have locations that can be mapped. Here is Europe:

What happens if we cross the Rochlitz direct link information with, for example, the dealer information?

Well, frankly, the chart gets harder to read. Part of Rochlitz' network disappears into the magma of the 213 dealers, and we have a less clear picture of what is going on.

The occupation "art dealer" seems like an important attribute but not in this analysis where it produces more noise than insight.

What if, on the contrary, we join Rochlitz' network with the networks of one of his direct links, say Wuester?

Bammann, Hans
Rademacher, Dr Bernard
Wuester, Adolf
Adrion, Philippe
Birtschansky, Zacharie
Cailleux, Paul
Duthey, Jean Paul Louis
Klein
Kuehne & Nagel
Landry, Pierre
Levy, Mlle
Petrides, O
Rosner, Isador (or Ignacy)
Thierry
de Trevise, Duc
von Frey, Count Alexand

Perhaps we can see which of Rochlitz' direct links also had direct links to, say, Wuester?

The chart below shows Wuester's direct connections in the ALIU Red Flag list.

Adolf Wüster had a lot of direct links, including Gustav Rochlitz. 

Some of Wuester's direct links are also direct links for Rochlitz. For example: Paul Cailleux.

Art dealer Paul Cailleux, 136 rue du Fbg St Honore,  had direct links to both Wuester and Rochlitz.

If we put ALIU data for Wuester and Rochlitz together, we see:

This network chart helps us to see at a glance that Paul Cailleux, Dr. Hans Wendland, Duc de Trevise, Hans Bammann, Dr. Bernhard Rademacher have this in common: they all had direct links to both Wuester and Rochlitz.

This is an intriguing beginning. Now where can we go from here? One could perform the same analysis with each of Rochliz' direct links, or even combine them all into a single analysis.
One could go further and create a matrice with every connection mentioned in the ALIU final Report.
What might this show us? How to present the network graph so that it is readable and useful for researchers?
Is it more helpful to use a wide or a narrow focus?

What if we mix  ALIU documented  networks with other types of networks, from other types of sources?

To be continued...

see also: The Networks of Walter Bornheim and The Networks of Bruno Lohse

Networks of Bruno Lohse

ALIU rendered as networks: Lohse and Loebl Red Flag Names

Is there an easy way to view looted art networks? Above is what the Red Flag Names that mention Dr. Bruno Lohse and/or Allen (Ali) Loebl look like.

One sees that several people - Manon Loebl, Dr. Hans Wendland, F Mestalet, Pierry Landry and Victor Mandl have direct links to both Dr Bruno Lohse and to Allen (Ali) Loebl.

This chart indicates merely that the Art Looting Investigation Unit described some kind of relationship. It does not tell us the nature of the relationship (although this information is in the original ALIU Red List data.) The ALIU Red Flag Name list says that Manon Loebl and Allen Loebl are brothers, but the viewer cannot see this on the chart.

Below is the network of direct connections between Red Flag Names and Walter Andreas Hofer.

What happens if we combine them?