There's a fabulous and haunting book done in 1940 by Jean Cocteau with photos by Pierre Jahan. It's called "La Morte des Statues" and is a monument to the Parisian statues destroyed by the Vichy government. They were torn down and melted (according to the government) into farm implements. Jahan grabbed camera and went to the scrapyard/graveyard to shoot the statues before their final demise. From fantasy figures to historical portrait pieces they lay tangled and ready for carnage. It was like looking at a mass grave of torture victims. No words were needed, but Cocteau wrote stark compelling prose/poetry for each picture. Of course knowing that the metal would actually go to the German war effort makes them even more chilling.
I've never been able to find a copy in the US except in a library. If anyone knows of a copy for sale, PLEASE let me know!
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