À l'épreuve du feu

Bombed, looted, evacuated — museums in northern France endured heavy losses during the two world wars. How were their collections protected, moved, or lost? What remains to be traced, documented, or returned today?
Based on previously unseen archives, field research, and legal analysis, this work sheds light on a long-overlooked chapter in museum history, now central to current debates on provenance and memory.
This publication is the result of a collective effort led by the Musenor association as part of its "Wars and Peace" project (2014–2018). It reveals the extent of the damage inflicted on public museum collections and the blind spots long ignored, as well as the strength of a committed network working to understand and share the history of local collections.
An accessible resource that encourages reflection on cultural heritage in times of crisis.