Secrets of the Dead

Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse’s role in post-war America. Lohse established relationships with curators at some of the nation’s most important cultural institutions and became an invisible hand, dealing in looted art – even as the families of the original owners pursued the restitution of works rightfully theirs.

The explosion of new museums in post-war America increased the demand for art –while, at the same time, those looking to shrink their taxable income were being given tax breaks for charitable donations. These two factors created a “very murky” market, explains restitution attorney Raymond Dowd, as “museums became filled with toxic assets. Almost no one had a motivation to look into provenance.”

Fritz Gutmann’s silver collection was highly sought by Hermann Göring during the Nazi looting of Europe. As his grandson Simon Goodman explains, Gutmann was promised safe passage to Italy if he would sign over the silver. Instead, in a move of pure deception, he and his wife were sent to Berlin for interrogation by Göring’s agents—including Bruno Lohse—and ultimately to Terezin concentration camp.

Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of Bruno Lohse and his role in the Nazi looting operation, interviewing Lohse himself, as well as curators, art investigators, Lohse’s associates, and descendants of the victims of Nazi art theft. With a look at stunning masterpieces and a deep archive of personal letters, Plunderer reveals the dark underbelly of the international art world.

After initially joining the German Army as a soldier at the outset of World War II, Dr. Bruno Lohse – an art historian by training – was selected to join the ERR, the Nazi Party agency tasked with plundering Europe. Headquartered in Paris, the ERR carried out, in the words of journalist Hector Feliciano, “the largest looting that has ever happened in history.”

The holy temple of Vat Phou sits at the foot of Mt. Phu Kao. Evidence suggests ancient Khmer kings made grand processions to worship at the temple -- and then continued up the mountain, by foot, to pray at the summit. Christophe Pottier and his archaeological team are recreating the challenging ascent, in search of evidence of religious ceremonies from the pre-Angkorian era.

The discovery of gold and silver artifacts in Laos, dating to the early days of the Khmer Empire, leads scientists to investigate how the priceless objects were made and where they might have originated. On their journey, they retrace the steps of the ancient kings and explore the sacred landscape around Vat Phou to learn more about this ancient civilization.

A team of archaeologists led by Christine Hawixbrock is excavating a site in what was the ancient Khmer city of Kurukshetra. And after digging through multiple "cultural layers" of earth, they make a breakthrough -- a clear sign of human occupation of this ancient royal city.

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire, which controlled much of the region between the 9th and 15th centuries. The stunning accomplishments of Angkor’s great kings are clear to see—but the period preceding the foundation of their great city is shrouded in mystery. Now, the discovery of an incredible hoard of stunning artifacts is providing surprising new clues about this early Khmer society.

Archaeologist Christine Hawixbrock and her team discover a small cymbal during the excavation of an ancient Khmer temple complex. Artifacts like this would have been used as part of a religious ceremony, and suggest the presence of a royal elite here during the pre-Angkorian period.

Residents of the rural Polish town of Pień have long avoided a particular hill in the village – and in 2022, a team of archaeologists led by Dariusz Poliński and Magdalena Zagrodzka learned why. They discovered the body of a woman buried with a sickle across her neck, and a triangular padlock attached to her toe. Had they dug up a gruesome crime scene – or evidence of the supernatural?

Forensic artist Oscar Nilsson has worked alongside Swedish police forces for decades, modelling the faces of crime scene victims. Now, he is tasked with reconstructing the face of “Zosia,” a woman buried as a vampire in 17-century Poland – and hopes to restore her human dignity in the process.