The Guggenheims: A Family History – An Absorbing Biography of a New York Empire Built on Mining That Shaped Modernism and the Arts

by Debi Unger, Irwin Unger

A portrait of a great American dynasty and its legacy in business, technology, the arts, and philanthropy Meyer Guggenheim, a Swiss immigrant, founded a great American business dynasty. At their peak in the early twentieth century, the Guggenheims were reckoned among America's wealthiest, and the richest Jewish family in the world after the Rothschilds. They belonged to Our Crowd, that tight social circle of New York Jewish plutocrats, but unlike the others -- primarily merchants and financiers -- they made their money by extracting and refining copper, silver, lead, tin, and gold. The secret of their success, the patriarch believed, was their unity, and in the early years Meyer's seven sons, under the leadership of Daniel, worked as one to expand their growing mining and smelting empire. Family solidarity eventually decayed (along with their Jewish faith), but even more damaging was the paucity of male heirs as Meyer and the original set of brothers passed from the scene. In the third generation, Harry Guggenheim, Daniel's son, took over leadership and made the family a force in aviation, publishing, and horse-racing. He desperately sought a successor but tragically failed and was forced to watch as the great Guggenheim business enterprise crumbled. Meanwhile, "Guggenheim" came to mean art more than industry. In the mid-twentieth century, led by Meyer's son Solomon and Solomon's niece Peggy, the Guggenheims became the agents of modernism in the visual arts. Peggy, in America during the war years, midwifed the school of abstract expressionism, which brought art leadership to New York City. Solomon's museum has been innovative in spreading the riches of Western art around the world. After the generation of Harry and Peggy, the family has continued to produce many accomplished members, such as publisher Roger Straus II and archaeologist Iris Love. In The Guggenheims , through meticulous research and absorbing prose, Irwin Unger, the winner of a Pulitzer Prize in history, and his wife, Debi Unger, convey a unique and remarkable story -- epic in its scope -- of one family's amazing rise to prominence.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Art, American History, Art History, Business

576 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 1905

Reviews

[Marc Brackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prior to reading this book I knew nothing about this family other than there was a museum in New York that was related to them in some manner. As with most things I know little about it quickly became evident how big of a thing this family once was.

From New York, the West, Mexico, and Chile this family really left a legacy (mining is rarely an activity that once it ceases disappears). The book started very strongly and was a most captivating tale. However as time went on the book like the family became harder to follow and the focus was lost. No shortage of fascinating bits and pieces (one early son went down with the Titiantic, another great grand-daughter probably set new records for promiscuous behavior).

The book could have been perhaps been laid out better. A family tree would have been a most useful illustration, especially towards the ends of the book. For the book to have started strong and then tapered off is really no different that what has happened in real life. Whatever driving force made the Guggenheim family a world industrial power has disappeared along with the wealth the family once had. It's very probable you would encounter Guggenheim heirs shopping at Wal-Mart or eating at McDonald's, the silver spoon is long gone now.

[Kotryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit disappointing and in some parts boring. For a long time I couldn't focus on it, and pushed it away more than a few times. I'm a passionate fan of biography-genre, but I couldn't stop thinking that it was a mistake to try to put so many characters in one book, because almost all of them lacked the depth, which I'm sure was not the case in real life.

And I have to admit, buying the book in Venice (Peggy Guggenheim museum book shop) and not knowing a lot about the clan before reading the book, I've expected more stories about art rather than metallurgy and finances, which probably was my own illiteracy.

And maybe it's just me and my own lack of focus, but if one decides to write / publish a family saga of few generations, it would be a great idea to include a genealogical tree in the end of the book, as the storyline jumps from one generation to another, and includes a lot of second-plan characters constantly popping up in different part of the book, so it was hard to follow.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guggenheims were a great American dynasty that grew to prominence in the early twentieth century by building a fortune off of extraction and refinement of copper, silver, lead, tin, and gold. Originally from Germany, the family arrived in America in 1848 and initially supported themselves by peddling wares and then scaling up to produce their own stove polish, which was the family's "first foray into industry - into production rather than commerce" (13). Later they grew profitable through establishing a lace firm that brought them the wealth needed to expand into mining and refining.

Meyer Guggenheim is considered the patriarch of the family and credited his family's success on the close ties between his seven sons, who all worked within the family businesses. Yet over time, family solidarity faded as the family grew larger and more widespread. In the mid-twentieth century, the family became well known for their investments in the arts more than industry. As fewer and fewer male descendants were born into the family, today there are only a handful left that hold the name Guggenheim and even fewer that closely know the story behind their ancestry.

The first half of this book was relatively dry and focused primarily on the business operations of the family with little personal detail to make it interesting. Of course this is likely because little personal detail survives but it still made for a dense read. However, as the book proceeded, it began to focus in on well known Guggenheim figures and provide detailed accounts of their individual lives. With such a vast family tree, there is no way for the authors to provide an overview of every Guggenheim but Unger and Unger did an excellent job of researching the family tree and selecting the most famous and significant of the family to focus on in this joint family biography. Yet there were some stories I wish had been further explored. For example, one Edwin Guggenheim was stranded on a reef in 1924 and only rescued after surviving for 9 months of isolation (227). This one sentence is all that is devoted to this remarkable story.

A Guggenheim died on the titanic, another commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a building to house his museum of modern art, and another published the writings of T.S. Eliot and Pablo Neruda. A complicated family with many different personalities, most weren't particularly devoted to their Jewish heritage and many married multiple times. Sadly, the last Guggenheim family reunion happened in the mid-1980s and since that time the family has continued to drift further apart. "Once the core businesses decayed and shared economic goals attenuated, the most powerful cement of the extended family ceased to bind. Ironically, some of the surviving family self-awareness derives from the efforts of historians and biographers to chronicle the Guggenheim past" (495). Overall an interesting family history that tells stories that seem to have largely faded from memory.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, the book was full of interesting information on this illustrious family. However, I was a little turned off by the author's continual and obviously biased opinions about some of the family members. Maybe that's just me.

[Dianna P · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought it was too detailed about the business and not enough about the whole family not just the men. I was bored and went to the end so I didn’t have to read the rest of it I would not recommend I’ve read a lot of books about the guilded age,this one did not hit the mark

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A richly developed portrait of the rise and decline of one of America’s best known social klans...a great tale.” — BusinessWeek

“This fascinating family saga told with the brisk spirit of its subjects, evokes the strength necessary to create a dynasty.” — Nicholas Fox Weber, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“The stories [the Ungers] compile are a rich and fascinating tapestry.”
— John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News

“I am enthralled. A page-turner. . . . What a palatable way to learn American history!”
— Leonard Dinnerstein, author of Natives and Strangers

“The best-informed account of the clan. . . . An engaging history of the famous family.” — Booklist

“Indelible and intriguing . . . meticulously researched and very well written. An American saga.”
— Norman F. Cantor, author of The Sacred Chain: The History of the Jews

“Fascinating...an engaging story recounted by the Ungers in fast-paced, well-documented style.” — Robin Updike, Seattle Times

“Excellent...pitch-perfect...their narrative moves more swiftly than any 550-page group biogrpahy has any right to.” — Francis Morrone, New York Sun

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, an exhaustingly thourough book on the family that aided in making this country what it is for good and evil.
Typical biography of how this family rose to be one of the biggest richest families in this country. This tells of the Mining and shipping that made them wealthy, and how it helped and hurt the people around them. The book delves into the whole family, , from the Art lovers, to the politicians and philanderers.
It's a big fat book, and will take sometime to read, some nice family pictures.

[Mark Schomburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tells the story of how they got into the copper mining business and it's ups and downs, including family drama relating to who was in or out of the family business. The pursuits of the later generations into the Arts and patronage are not the focus but receive some interesting coverage towards the book's end. The most inspiring sections depict the persistence required to make progress against continuing peril and early losses.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finally finished this colossal family history of the Guggenheims. The book spanned years of Guggenheim history and a countless number of Guggenheims, many most Americans have never heard of. I wished the book had a more central focus on the relationships of the family but it seemed to lack the human emotional element. Keeping the veil of the family's inner secrets. On a side note I have never learned so much about the smelting and metal business. Can't say I would recommend it to others.

[Kris Veches · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly interesting book. I purchased it because I felt that I should know more about this family that was prominent in American history. I knew nothing about them. I learned alot about them reading this book. Not only is there the basic information about where/how/when they made their money and how they became philathropists, but it also delves into the dynamic of the relationships between generations, fathers, son, mothers, daughters etc.

[Idonacab · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I finished it...but it did satisfy my craving for wanting to know more about the Guggenheims. They really were a self built family back at the turn of the century - but as the children were 'born into wealth'....the book got fairly disappointing for me and may be why I still have not finished this book!

[Vendela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read!

[Tracy]

“Vivid, dramatic, enterprising, fallible, generous, lusty bunch”. My assessment too of the Guggenheim clan. Also, they couldn’t commit to a marriage, not one!