The Belgian archaeologist Marcel Amand was born in the Belgian village of Sohier on 19th May 1917. He studied art history and archaeology at the State University of Liège, graduating with his doctorate in 1941. He began working at the Commissariat General for Reconstruction, cataloging the archaeological remains in Tournai, which had been badly damaged by bombing campaigns.

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After Belgium's liberating, Amand served as a Belgian Representative for Fine Arts Restitution in the British Zone of Occupation. As part of his duties, Amand investigated suspected dealers of stolen works of art, retracing their movements during the war and discovering many Belgian-owned objects hidden in repositories throughout the British Zone.

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Amand also made trips to the various collecting points. At the Munich Central Collecting Point, he assisted with the identification of objects discovered by the Monuments Men at Schloss Kogl in Attergau, Austria, the repository for a large amount of Belgian-owned works of art. Using the ERR inventory list for Schloss Kogl, the Belgian Monuments Men were able to account for the majority of cultural treasures looted from their nation.

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Following his return to Belgium, Amand resumed his career as an archaeologist. Some of his most notable excavations occurred in Tournai, Belgium, where the ravages of war had unearthed previously unknown sites dating back to Ancient Rome. Amand worked as the assistant of noted archaeologist and historian Paul Rolland of the Académie Royale d’Archéologie de Belgique during his excavations of the city. The history of Tournai remained a lifelong fascination for Amand, evidenced by his many publications on the subject, including Tournai clef du Royaume (1961) and Tournai de César à Clovis (1972) to name a few. Other projects include the discovery of a 12th-century structure under Jardin de l’Évêché in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, Limousin, France and a dig under the nave of Eglise Saint-Piat in Tournai, where the installation of a heating pipe revealed an ancient Roman site. 

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Marcel Amand died in Tournai in 1993.

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The Foundation is very interested in learning more about Amand’s life, including his military service as a Monuments Man. If you have any information, please contact abottinelli@monumentsmenfoundation.org.