{{Short description|French museum official (1885–1967)}} {{Infobox person | name = Jacques Jaujard | image = Jacques_Jaujard.jpg | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Jacques Jaujard | birth_date = {{Birth date|1895|12|3|df=yes}} | birth_place = Asnières-sur-Seine, Île-de-France | death_date = {{Death date and age|1967|06|21|1895|12|3|df=yes}} | death_place = Paris | other_names = | education = | spouse = Jeanne Boitel | occupation = Director of the French Musées Nationaux | known_for = | awards = Légion d'honneur;<br /> Médaille de la Résistance }}
'''Jacques Jaujard''' (3 December 1895 – 21 June 1967) was a senior civil servant of the French fine art administration instrumental in the evacuation and protection of the French arts collections during World War II.<ref name="grandpalais">{{cite web | url=http://www.grandpalais.fr/fr/article/illustre-et-inconnu-comment-jacques-jaujard-sauve-le-louvre-le-film-en-dvd | title=Illustre et Inconnu. Comment Jacques Jaujard a sauvé le Louvre | publisher=Grand Palais | access-date=2018-01-10}}</ref>
== Evacuation of the Louvre museum art collection during World War II == {{Main|Evacuation of the Louvre museum art collection during World War II}} During the Spanish Civil War in 1938, he supervised the evacuation of the Museo del Prado collections to Switzerland.
Before the German army arrived in Paris, and during the German occupation, and against the orders of the Vichy government, he organized the removal and safe storage, in the provinces (first in the Château de Chambord,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/arts-expositions/2013/11/13/03015-20131113ARTFIG00266-le-louvre-ou-l-art-de-resister.php | title=Le Louvre ou l'art de résister | publisher=Le Figaro | date=2013-11-13 | access-date=2018-01-13}}</ref> then in the Château de Sourches, Château de Saint-Blancard,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2014/03/13/1838288-oeuvres-art-spoliees-nazis-debat-rebondit-gers.html | title=Œuvres d'art spoliées par les Nazis: le débat rebondit dans le Gers | publisher=La Dépêche du Midi | quote=''Et le Gers a bénéficié du plan Rose Valland en récupérant les antiquités égyptiennes du Louvre qui ont été stockées au château de Saint-Blancard'' | date=2014-03-13 | access-date=2018-01-13}}</ref> etc...) of the Louvre art collection, helped by curators Germain Bazin, André Chamson, and René Huyghe.<ref name="guardian">{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/22/mona-lisa-spirited-away-from-nazis-jacques-jaujard-louvre | title=Saviour of France's art: how the Mona Lisa was spirited away from the Nazis | work=The Guardian | quote=''On 25 August 1939, Jaujard closed the Louvre for three days, officially for repair work. For three days and nights, hundreds of staff, art students and employees of the Grands Magasins du Louvre department store carefully placed treasures in white wooden cases.'' | date=2014-11-22 | access-date=2018-01-13}}</ref><ref name="louvre">{{cite web | url=https://www.louvre.fr/sites/default/files/medias/medias_fichiers/fichiers/pdf/louvre-communique-de-presse-illustre-inconnu.pdf | title=Illustre & Inconnu: Comment Jacques Jaujard a sauvé le Louvre | publisher=France 3 | access-date=2018-01-13 | archive-date=2020-09-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928091737/https://www.louvre.fr/sites/default/files/medias/medias_fichiers/fichiers/pdf/louvre-communique-de-presse-illustre-inconnu.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://resister-art-litterature.jimdo.com/resister-en-france-occupee/jacques-jaujard-et-les-oeuvres-du-louvre/ | title=JACQUES JAUJARD ET LA SAUVEGARDE DES ŒUVRES DU LOUVRE | publisher=resister-art-litterature.jimdo.com | access-date=2018-01-13}}</ref>
With the help of Rose Valland, he was instrumental in the saving of the French arts collections during World War II.<ref name="grandpalais"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/the-heroes/the-monuments-men/jaujard-jacques | title=Jacques Jaujard ( 1895-1967 ) | publisher=Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art | access-date=2018-01-10}}</ref>
Franz von Wolff-Metternich, who was responsible of the conservation of the French art collections under the Kunstschutz principle, from 1940 to 1942, knew what was going on but voluntarily did not do anything. However, in 1942, Wolff-Metternich was recalled from France because he disagreed with the Nazis' looting, and at the end of the war, Jaujard had to hide in Lozère.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9647526h/f30.item.r=Jacques%20Jaujard | title=In Memoriam - Jacques Jaujard | year=1968 | publisher=gallica.bnf.fr | access-date=2018-01-13}}</ref>
== Personal life == He met the actress Jeanne Boitel (who was in the resistance under the nickname ''Mozart'') during his resistance activities, and married her later.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ensemble.presseregionaleprotestante.info/article/jacques-jaujard-1895-1967-patrimoine-837 | title=Jacques Jaujard (1895 - 1967): patrimoine | publisher=ensemble.presseregionaleprotestante.info | quote=''Il fera connaissance d'une figure de la résistance, Jeanne Boitel, célèbre comédienne française engagée, de nom de code Mozart. Elle répertorie les œuvres séquestrées par les allemands et rencontre J. Jaujard pour discuter des œuvres qu'il a dissimulé. Il en devient fou amoureux, mais il est déjà marié. Il divorcera plusieurs années après leur rencontre'' | access-date=2018-01-12 | date=2017-02-23 | archive-date=2017-12-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209204020/https://ensemble.presseregionaleprotestante.info/article/jacques-jaujard-1895-1967-patrimoine-837 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Accolades == Jacques Jaujard was awarded the Légion d'honneur and Médaille de la Résistance for his actions during World War II. The main entrance of the École du Louvre is also named after him.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.paris-autrement.paris/le-louvre-porte-jaujard/ | title=Le Louvre Porte Jaujard | publisher=paris-autrement.paris | access-date=2018-01-13}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
== Bibliography == * {{cite book |author1=Françoise Cachin |author-link=Françoise Cachin |author2=Collective |title=Pillages et Restitutions: Le Destin des oeuvres d'art sorties de France pendant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MsufAAAAMAAJ |year=1997 |publisher=La Direction |language=French |chapter=Un très grand directeur : Jacques Jaujard |isbn=978-2-87660-208-3}} * {{Cite AV media |title=Illustre et Inconnu. Comment Jacques Jaujard a sauvé le Louvre |author=Jean-Pierre Devillers |publisher=Ladybirds Films |date=2015 |ref=DevillersMovie |type=Television production }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaujard, Jacques}} Category:1895 births Category:1967 deaths Category:French Resistance members Category:Recipients of the Resistance Medal Category:Officers of the Legion of Honour Category:Recipients of the Medal of Freedom