Monuments Men Foundation honouring wartime treasure hunters closing

A foundation to honour the Monuments Men treasure hunters who saved 5 million works of art during the Second World War says it is closing due to a lack of funds.

Robert Edsel established the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art in 2007. Edsel is a Dallas-based author who wrote The Monuments Men,which was made into a 2014 movie starring George Clooney.

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He told The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday that the foundation will stop operating at the end of October.

Edsel said documenting and sharing the group's stories has cost more than $7 million US over 10 years. The foundation raised half. Edsel, who made his money in oil and gas, paid the rest.

The 345 treasure hunters will be honoured with a Congressional Gold Medal Thursday in Washington, D.C.