A sought-after speaker, Robert M. Edsel has spoken at universities, professional groups, museums, high school students, volunteer groups and other organizations.

While he is best known for his pioneering work on the heroes of civilization known as the Monuments Men, Edsel draws on his past experiences as a competitive tennis player and later the founder of Gemini Exploration, an oil and gas company that pioneered the use of horizontal drilling technology, to speak to audiences on a variety of lecture topics. His successful presentations include:

Is Art Worth a Life?: Hitler, War and the Monuments Men

Edsel’s most requested presentation includes an interactive presentation with over 100 slides, anecdotes about the Monuments Men who rescued and returned millions of cultural items stolen by Hitler and the Nazis during World War II, details about filming the documentary “The Rape of Europa” in seven countries and lobbying Congress to pass a resolution recognizing the achievements of the Monuments Men, plus time for audience Q&A.

Monuments Men: Cultural Builders of America

Edsel compellingly discusses how so many of the Monuments Men and women built the cultural nation America became after World War II because of leading figures such as James Rorimer, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Kirstein, founder of the New York City Ballet, and S. Lane Faison, Jr., a towering figure in art education. These scholar-soldiers shaped the arts and cultural scene in the United States during the 20th century.

Renaissance: Building a New Life

From a life on the tennis circuit both playing and working, to founding one of the nation's premier oil and gas exploration companies, to life as a writer, historian, lobbyist, and philanthropist, Edsel candidly discusses the difficulties of beginning again...learning new subjects...the misstarts and trials of changing careers...and the motivations he has had for doing so.

To request more information or to arrange a speaking engagement, please contact Christy Fox at christyfox1@aol.com.