"[An] exceptional work of scholarship. . . . A brilliant account of Nazi pillage and the ongoing efforts at restitution." — Kirkus, Starred Review
"Where Dellheim excels is in vividly recreating historical characters, their encounters, and relationships both professional and personal, piecing them together from extensive correspondence and diaries (published and unpublished), breathing life into them and their interactions." — Keith Holz, Western Illinois University
"A hefty, deeply researched book…A compelling portrait of the Jewish families who, unexpectedly, became arbiters of taste in Europe, beginning in the late 19th century and ending with Nazi plunder. Read if you’re into: thinking about art history, Jewish history and where they intersect." — Alma
"Readers of Dellheim’s book will learn more about the history of modern art and European cultural history during times of upheaval and turmoil. Those who enjoy history and art history will enjoy this deep dive." — Library Journal
"A comprehensive tale of the artwork that appeared throughout Europe and then was absconded with in one of the largest heists ever. The various characters featured in this fascinating account hustle, sell and backstab." — Manhattan Book Review
"The stories of the Nazis’ lust for fine art during World War II most often revolves around the pillaging of personal and private collections and subsequent efforts at restitution…Yet, there is another story to tell among this intriguing but oft-rehearsed narrative, a prologue of sorts, and Charles Dellheim’s book "Belonging and Betrayal" deftly does just that…In addition to narrating the vast contribution of Jews to the early twentieth-century art world, Dellheim explores the Jewish assimilation experience… Dellheim’s book transcends typical university press publications. The volume is an enjoyable, breezy read that intertwines the fortunes and fate of a host of colorful figures who changed the art world, as well as the devastating betrayal of some of its very best." — Jewish Book Council
"With its twists and turns, Dellheim’s book reads like a Realist novel. Despite the seriousness of its subject matter, it is a thrilling read, divided into wittily titled sections… The book is a veritable tour de force and an outstanding addition to scholarly research on art, Modernism, and Jewish studies." — Hyperallergic, Naomi Polonsky
"'Belonging and Betrayal' is a wonderful achievement, beautifully written, a magnificent work of art in itself, a fabulous book." — Keen On, Andrew Keen
"Highly recommended. This well-researched volume, with copious notes, two sections of color plates, and interspersed black-and-white figures, will interest those studying art history, provenance research, art markets, museums and repatriation, cultural studies, and Jewish studies." — J. Decker, Rochester Institute of Technology
"Dellheim’s rich, deeply engaging, compulsively readable study… which combines business history, social history, and cultural and intellectual history, offers a fresh and exciting approach to ethnic studies. The larger issue that Dellheim explores in his extraordinary book is the complex connection between Jews, modernity, and modernism." — Inside Higher Ed
"'Belonging and Betrayal' is a brilliantly etched portrayal of the family firms that maneuvered, battled, adapted, persevered, and prospered over decades and centuries. What underlies all of Charles Dellheim’s painstaking research lies a loving devotion to the subject matter. That means, above all, that his discussion of cultural and aesthetic matters rests on a bedrock of economic and business history. The element so often missing from studies of Jewish participation in Western culture here properly takes center stage. In this masterwork, Dellheim shows how to understand the business of culture." — Jon Karp, Jewish Review of Books
"Dellheim’s book is the first to present a collective portrait of the businessmen – and occasionally businesswomen, like Berthe Weill – who thrived in fashionable and avant-garde circles. ...This is a huge work of historical synthesis, which manages to weave together an enormous cast of characters and locations with flair and sympathy." — Tom Stammers, Ars Judaica
"In the book, Dellheim writes about dealers of Old Masters, champions of modern art, and victims of Nazi plunder, sharing the epic fortunes and misfortunes of those eminent art dealers and collectors who, against the odds, played a pivotal role in the migration of works of art from Europe and Britain to the United States." — Arts and Collections
"'Belonging and Betrayal' seeks to explain how Jews found significant, if precarious, success in the European art world... [It] reveals the complex negotiations, spoken and unspoken, that structured social, economic, and political life for Jews in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century western Europe." — ARTNews
"Dellheim's 600-plus-page tour de force [is] well-illustrated with paintings that its cast of characters collected and sold... [and] primary sources that reveal the extent of Nazi looting..." — JewishBoston
"A wonderful achievement, beautifully written, a magnificent work of art in itself, a fabulous book." — LitHub's Keen On
"Highly recommended. This well-researched volume, with copious notes, two sections of color plates, and interspersed black-and-white figures, will interest those studying art history, provenance research, art markets, museums and repatriation, cultural studies, and Jewish studies." — Choice
"European Jews on a fairly considerable scale drifted into the visual arts world as collectors and dealers in the 19th century and became, against all odds, arbiters of taste. Once regarded as outsiders on the margins of high culture, they were suddenly thrust into positions of prestige and influence. Charles Dellheim, a professor of history at Boston University, charts their entry into this field in his masterful and magisterial book, "Belonging and Betrayal: How Jews Made The Art World Modern," published by Brandeis University Press....Dellheim has written a highly readable, substantive and engaging account of the entry of Jews into art. It may well be the definitive work on this topic." — Sheldon Kirshner, The Times of Israel
"This is a book that seeks and deserves a large audience. It has met enthusiasm across the art press and Jewish press in the English-speaking world, but it merits a broader readership. Those interested in modern European cultural or business history, art history, or Jewish studies—but also a general readership—will find the narrative compelling to follow. ...In short, this history of Jewish involvement and achievement in the art world is history writ large and springs from the author’s often intimate grasp of the professional and private lives and efforts of the progressive dealers and collectors, reanimated here by one of the history profession’s master storytellers." — Austrian History Yearbook
A master storyteller, Dellheim relates the microhistory of several families before, during, and after the two world wars. In so doing, he brings to the fore a more general and timely issue: the as- piration of urban minority groups to belong to a given society, and the fragility of the social contracts they develop. — Studies in Contemporary Jewry
