By
Simon Goodman
Scribner,
2015. 353 pgs. Nonfiction
The
Orpheus Clock brings to life the tragedy of the Gutmann family’s losses to the
Nazis. The Gutmann’s acquired their
wealth through banking in Germany but by the time of the World War II, the family trustee of
their famous art collection lived in Holland. The Nazis soon became aware of
the priceless collection of art owned by Fritz and Louise Gutmann and couldn’t
rest until they had taken everything, even Fritz and Louise’ lives. Because the
Nazis usually made their art thefts look legal by forcing their victims to sign
documents verifying their “sale,” most European governments were extremely slow
to recognize and return art to victims and their families after the war,
claiming the art had been legally acquired by the Nazis. Many governments
ignored the life and death pressures experienced by the victims and required
them to repurchase their art!
Inheriting
his father’s voluminous correspondence from the decades after World War II,
Simon Goodman renews his father’s quest to locate masterworks once owned by his
grandparents that ended up in the hands of governments and galleries in Europe
and the United States after the war. This gripping book also traces the lives
of the Gutmann family as they acquire and then lose their wealth because of
Nazi policies toward the Jews.
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