Javier is a journalist and cultural manager with a passion for art and its history. In his free time he loves reading and researching the lives of artists and their works. He loves everything related to the Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance and the mysteries behind lost works of art.
Masterpiece Story: View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer
Between 1660 and 1661, Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer created three paintings of his hometown, Delft. These are The Little Street, the now-lost...
Javier Abel Miguel 24 November 2025
QUIZ: How Much Do You Know About Degenerate Art?
Javier Abel Miguel 18 October 2025
Rose Valland: How One Woman Saved Thousands of Artworks From the Nazis
Bravery often reveals itself in the most unexpected ways. Even a museum volunteer working her way up can become a hero. This is the story of Rose...
Javier Abel Miguel 9 October 2025
Did You Know That Michelangelo Was an Art Forger?
Michelangelo Buonarroti is undoubtedly one of the most acclaimed artists in history. Some of his creations, such as David or the ceiling of the...
Javier Abel Miguel 19 September 2025
The Schloss Collection: A Story of War, Looting, and Restitution
Among the many artistic depredations that devastated France under Nazi rule, the looting of the Schloss collection came to be seen as a defining...
Javier Abel Miguel 1 September 2025
Lost Masterpieces: Leda and the Swan by Michelangelo
Throughout art history, numerous works have been lost, leaving only the stories as a testimony to their greatness. Among these lost treasures is...
Javier Abel Miguel 4 August 2025
Masterpiece Story: Le Quai Malaquais et l’Institut by Camille Pissarro
An Impressionist masterpiece—looted by the Nazis, hidden for decades in a vault in a Swiss bank, subject of a controversial restitution, and linked...
Javier Abel Miguel 16 June 2025
Beyond the Cherubs: The Story Behind The Sistine Madonna
We’ve seen them on postcards, gift wrap, T-shirts, coffee mugs, and even tattoos. With their serene expressions and relaxed posture, Raphael’s...
Javier Abel Miguel 22 May 2025
The Degenerate Art Exhibition: How the Nazis Tried to Destroy Modern Art
In 1937, the Nazi regime organized an exhibition in Munich that marked one of the darkest chapters in art history: the Entartete Kunst (Degenerate...
Javier Abel Miguel 8 May 2025
Bruno Lohse—Art Dealer of the Third Reich
In 2007, the Zurich prosecutor’s office opened vault number 5 of the Zürcher Kantonalbank. But something felt off; the vault was huge, more like a...
Javier Abel Miguel 28 April 2025
