The Orpheus Clock : the search for my family's art treasures stolen by the Nazis

Format:

Book

Title:

The Orpheus Clock : the search for my family's art treasures stolen by the Nazis

Author:

Goodman, Simon, 1948- author

ISBN:

9781451697636

9781451697643

Edition:

First Scribner hardcover edition.

Publication:

New York : Scribner, 2015.

Physical Description:

x, 353 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of color plates : color illustrations ; 24 cm

Contents:

Foundation. My father's old boxes ; The generations that came before ; Fritz and Louise : marriage, war, and a new life ; Holland and Bosbeek : the years between the wars ; The ephemeral peace -- Devastation. The wolves at the door ; Theresienstadt ; Bernard -- Restoration. Out of the ashes ; Searching for Degas ; Renoir and Botticelli ; Return to Holland ; "Sin" and "Sensuality" ; "Portrait of a Young Man" ; Lifting the curse : the Orpheus clock ; Postscript: On reflection -- Appendix 1. Gutmann family tree -- Appendix 2. Recovered art.

Summary:

The passionate, true story of one man's quest to reclaim what the Nazis stole from his family--their beloved art collection--and to restore their legacy. Simon Goodman's grandparents came from German Jewish banking dynasties and perished in concentration camps. And that's almost all he knew--his father rarely spoke of their family history or heritage. But when he passed away, and Simon received his father's papers, a story began to emerge. The Gutmanns, as they were known then, rose from a small Bohemian hamlet to become one of Germany's most powerful banking families. They also amassed a world-class art collection that included works by Degas, Renoir, Botticelli, and many others, including a Renaissance clock engraved with scenes from the legend of Orpheus. The Nazi regime snatched everything the Gutmanns had labored to build: their art, their wealth, their social standing, and their very lives. Simon grew up in London with little knowledge of his father's efforts to recover their family's possessions. It was only after his father's death that Simon began to piece together the clues about the stolen legacy and the Nazi looting machine. He learned much of the collection had gone to Hitler and Goring; other works had been smuggled through Switzerland, sold and resold, with many pieces now in famous museums. More still had been recovered by Allied forces only to be stolen again by bureaucrats-- European governments quietly absorbed thousands of works of art into their own collections. Through painstaking detective work across two continents, Simon proved that many pieces belonged to his family, and successfully secured their return-- the first Nazi looting case to be settled in the United States. Goodman's dramatic story reveals a rich family history almost obliterated by the Nazis. It is not only the account of a twenty-year long detective hunt for family treasure, but an unforgettable tale of redemption and restoration. --Adapted from book jacket.

Personal Subject:

Gutmann family.

Gutmann family-Art collections.

Goodman family-Art collections.

Goodman family

Gutmann family

Subject(s):

Jewish bankers -- Germany -- Biography.

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Germany.

Art thefts -- Germany -- History -- 20th century.

Art thefts -- Investigation.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Reparations.

Geographic Term:

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Silver Falls Library	940.5318 GOODMAN	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mount Angel Public Library	940.5318 GOODMAN	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The passionate, gripping, true story of one man's single-minded quest to reclaim what the Nazis stole from his family, their beloved art collection, and to restore their legacy.

Simon Goodman's grandparents came from German-Jewish banking dynasties and perished in concentration camps. And that's almost all he knew about them--his father rarely spoke of their family history or heritage. But when he passed away, and Simon received his father's old papers, a story began to emerge.

The Gutmanns, as they were known then, rose from a small Bohemian hamlet to become one of Germany's most powerful banking families. They also amassed a magnificent, world-class art collection that included works by Degas, Renoir, Botticelli, Guardi, and many, many others. But the Nazi regime snatched from them everything they had worked to build: their remarkable art, their immense wealth, their prominent social standing, and their very lives.

Simon grew up in London with little knowledge of his father's efforts to recover their family's prized possessions. It was only after his father's death that Simon began to piece together the clues about the Gutmanns' stolen legacy and the Nazi looting machine. He learned much of the collection had gone to Hitler and Hermann Goering; other works had been smuggled through Switzerland, sold and resold to collectors and dealers, with many works now in famous museums. More still had been recovered by Allied forces only to be stolen again by heartless bureaucrats--European governments quietly absorbed thousands of works of art into their own collections. Through painstaking detective work across two continents, Simon has been able to prove that many works belonged to his family, and successfully secure their return.

With the help of his family, Simon initiated the first Nazi looting case to be settled in the United States. They also brought about the first major restitution in The Netherlands since the post-war era.

Goodman's dramatic story, told with great heart, reveals a rich family history almost obliterated by the Nazis. It is not only the account of a twenty-year long detective hunt for family treasure, but an unforgettable tale of redemption and restoration.

Reviews (3)

Kirkus Review

During World War II, the Nazis easily stole valuable artworks, furniture, and silver from Goodman, who has spent two difficult decades trying to recover them. The author's German family, who originally spelled the surname "Gutmann," were wealthy bankers beginning in the 19th century. In his affecting debut, Goodman, whose earlier career was in the music industry, traces their history, recording that his great-great-grandfather lived in a Dresden castle. The author spends several chapters talking about the financial rise of the family, who once employed Joseph Goebbels in a bank branch. Goodman's immediate family moved to the Netherlands and lived outside Amsterdam in an estate called Bosbeek, a place the author recalls as having "an almost magical quality." Then came the Nazis. Goodman rehearses much of the social and military history of the time, tells us about the deaths of relatives in the camps, and describes in excruciating detail how his family lost everything. Going through a box of his late father's belongings, he discovered the story of his father's generally fruitless attempt to recover his family's treasures. Soon, the author and his brother embarked on a long, tempestuous voyage of their own, encountering reluctance, disrespect, doubt, denial, and coldhearted crassness along the way. Throughout the book, Sotheby's does not come off well. Goodman's story is alternately wrenching and inspiring, though the diction is often clichd: writing is on the wall, people hope for the best, places are hell on earth. These locutions often drag this extraordinary story down to the ordinary. Readers will see allusions to many familiar persons and events here: Anne Frank, the Monuments Men, and the works of Degas, Renoir, Botticelli, and numerous other artists. We also learn of some internecine Goodman family squabbles. An emotional tale of unspeakable horrors, family devotion, and art as a symbol of hope. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Goodman was born in London, raised as an Anglican, and had only a slight knowledge of his Jewish heritage. As for the Holocaust, he had only the vague references from his father that his grandparents had died during the war. When his father died at the age of 80, Goodman and his brother, Nick, now living in Los Angeles, were tasked with sorting through boxes and boxes of their father's papers. Several months of poring over reams of his father's letters, documents, and other correspondences revealed a trove of family secrets that their frustratingly reticent parent had kept from them, and it led Goodman and his family on a quest for both justice and discovery of their family history. The Gutmans were a wealthy German Jewish family whose fortune was built on banking. The Nazis murdered many of the family members, including Goodman's grandparents, and looted their extensive art collection. The obsessive and futile effort of Goodman's father to trace and recover these treasures was taken up by his son, leading to conflicts and negotiations with governments, museums, and corrupt art dealers. The search is still ongoing, but this account of the struggle so far is both arresting and poignant, combining elements of a family chronicle and an intricate detective story.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2015 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Music executive -Goodman believed that his father, Bernard, was the quintessential British gentleman, always "wearing a jacket and tie, or at least a cravat." When Bernard passed away, Goodman and his brother Nick inherited files revealing that their father was born Bernhard Guttman, the primary heir of a prominent German banking family. Since the end of World War II, Bernard had been on a quest to recover the family's extensive art collection, plundered by the Nazis as Jewish property. Taking up the search, the brothers learn about the heartbreaking family history that obsessed their father, and in the process recover numerous treasures from the Guttman collection as well as reconcile with scattered Guttman relatives. As in Anne-Marie O'Connor's The Lady in Gold, many government officials, museum directors, and art collectors callously or duplicitously overlook suspect provenance to enhance their collections. Others are touchingly honorable when confronted with the legacy of the Holocaust. VERDICT Goodman's absorbing debut will appeal to readers with an interest in the business of art collecting, the cultural heritage of Western Europe, family histories, the work of the Monuments Men, and those who enjoyed The Lady in Gold, or its film version, Woman in Gold.-Laurie Unger Skinner, Coll. of Lake Cty., Waukegan, IL © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Part I Foundation
Chapter 1 My Father's Old Boxes	p. 3
Chapter 2 Tie Generations That Came Before	p. 18
Chapter 3 Fritz and Louise: Marriage, War, and a New Life	p. 45
Chapter 4 Holland and Bosbeek: The Years Between the Wars	p. 65
Chapter 5 The Ephemeral Peace	p. 91
Part II Devastation
Chapter 6 The Wolves at the Door	p. 113
Chapter 7 Theresienstadt	p. 135
Chapter 8 Bernard	p. 158
Part III Restoration
Chapter 9 Out of the Ashes	p. 179
Chapter 10 Searching for Degas	p. 199
Chapter 11 Renoir and Botticelli	p. 221
Chapter 12 Return to Holland	p. 234
Chapter 13 Sin and Sensuality	p. 255
Chapter 14 Portrait of a Young Man	p. 272
Chapter 15 Lifting the Curse: The Orpheus Clock	p. 292
Chapter 16 Postscript: On Reflection	p. 314
Acknowledgments	p. 319
Appendix 1 Gutmann Family Tree	p. 322
Appendix 2 Recovered Art	p. 325
Related Bibliography	p. 331
Photograph Credits	p. 333
Index	p. 335

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (3)

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

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