Robert M. Edsel

Robert Morse Edsel (born December 28, 1956) is an American businessman and author. He has written three non-fiction books - ''Rescuing Da Vinci'' (2006), ''Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History'' (2007); and ''Saving Italy'' (2013) - chronicling the recovery of artwork stolen by Nazi Germany during World War II. A film based on his book, ''The Monuments Men,'' directed by and starring George Clooney, was released in February 2014.

Edsel is the co-producer of the documentary film, ''The Rape of Europa'' (2007). He is also founder and chairman of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, which received the 2007 National Humanities Medal under President George W. Bush. The foundation has donated four albums of photographic evidence of the Third Reich's theft of art treasures to the United States National Archives. Provided by Wikipedia