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.
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 23 February 2026
The Theft of Michelangelo: The Story of His Stolen Body
The complex of the Santi Apostoli basilica in Rome, located just steps away from the bustling Piazza Venezia, is a place steeped in history. If you...
Javier Abel Miguel 18 February 2026
Plunder and Survival: Suzanne Loebl’s Account of Nazi Art Looting
Written by Holocaust survivor Suzanne Loebl with Abigail Wilentz, Plunder and Survival (Bloomsbury, 2025) traces the Nazi looting of art across...
Javier Abel Miguel 16 February 2026
Leonardo da Vinci—A Renaissance Comedian
Leonardo da Vinci, prototype of the Renaissance man, is renowned for masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Vitruvian...
Javier Abel Miguel 16 February 2026
Masterpiece Story: Sistine Madonna by Raphael
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 8 February 2026
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 4 February 2026
The Artist Schindler’s List: How Varian Fry Rescued Artists from Burning Europe
At the outbreak of World War II, Varian Fry, a US journalist, volunteered to travel to Marseille to assist in the repatriation of Europe’s...
Javier Abel Miguel 4 February 2026
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 22 January 2026
Masterpiece Story: Sky Blue by Wassily Kandinsky
As Europe burned during WWII, Wassily Kandinsky, who had fled Nazi Germany in 1933, lived as a recluse in his Neuilly-sur-Seine apartment. In that...
Javier Abel Miguel 8 January 2026
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 4 January 2026
