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Hitler's Art Thief: Hildebrand Gurlitt, the Nazis, and the Looting of Europe's Treasures
The world was stunned when eighty-year old Cornelius Gurlitt became an international media superstar in November 2013 on the discovery of over 1,400 artworks in his 1,076 square-foot Munich apartment, valued at around $1.35 billion. Gurlitt became known as a man who never was - he didn't have a bank account, never paid tax, never received social security. He simply did not exist. He had been hard-wired into a life of shadows and secrecy by his own father long before he had inherited his art collection built on the spoliation of museums and Jews during Hitler's Third Reich. The ensuing media frenzy unleashed international calls for restitution, unsettled international relations, and rocked the art world.
Ronald reveals in this stranger-than-fiction-tale how Hildebrand Gurlitt succeeded in looting in the name of the Third Reich, duping the Monuments Men and the Nazis alike. As an "official dealer" for Hitler and Goebbels, Hildebrand Gurlitt became one of the Third Reich's most prolific art looters. Yet he stole from Hitler too, allegedly to save modern art. This is the untold story of Hildebrand Gurlitt, who stole more than art-he stole lives, too.
Ronald reveals in this stranger-than-fiction-tale how Hildebrand Gurlitt succeeded in looting in the name of the Third Reich, duping the Monuments Men and the Nazis alike. As an "official dealer" for Hitler and Goebbels, Hildebrand Gurlitt became one of the Third Reich's most prolific art looters. Yet he stole from Hitler too, allegedly to save modern art. This is the untold story of Hildebrand Gurlitt, who stole more than art-he stole lives, too.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2015
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1523 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
September 2, 2024
I somehow feel guilty about the rating, as this book needed a tremendous amount of work, not to mention that it reminds, again and again, about the atrocities committed by " The Third Reich" .
But all these little facts, statistics and peripheral data are much more for the connoisseurs than the average reader, which could become bored quite easily. And that is a pity...
But all these little facts, statistics and peripheral data are much more for the connoisseurs than the average reader, which could become bored quite easily. And that is a pity...
May 12, 2022
Hildebrand Gurlitt is likely not a name familiar alongside those of the infamous villains of Nazi Germany. He should be though as he looted 1500 pieces of priceless art from the Nazi’s victims, valued at over $1 billion (USD) at 2015 values. Yet his crimes weren’t uncovered until 2013 when his son auctioned a painting, long after his father’s death, which led to the discovery of almost the entire collection in the son’s apartment, hidden from view for over 6 decades. In his heyday, Hildebrand illicitly covered his tracks as one of four official Nazi government art dealers in the international art trade in the 1930s through 1945. His career as an renowned expert in modern art, led to becoming an art dealer for the elite in German society including representing Hitler, Bormann, Goering, and Speer as they looted art from the European countries Germany conquered. The victims were mostly Jewish families and enemies of the state whose collections were either confiscated or sometimes bought or unscrupulously purchased largely through extortion. Others were stripped from museums under the guise (in Germany) that the works weren’t Germanic enough or from conquered countries if the work was originally German in origin.
All works were the part of wartime plunder, orchestrated by Gurlitt. After “purchasing” works for the Nazi elite and his private clients what was left was available for Gurlitt to buy. Prior to the start of World War 2 and even during the War itself, Gurlitt sold works in international art shows illicitly to get hard currency for the German government’s war effort, even though Germany was legally prohibited from doing this, but Gurlitt was a master at money laundering to make it possible. Stunningly among his important clients, were American collectors, even while the US was a German opponent in the War. Gurlitt always contended he was saving these masterpieces, but he never acknowledged that the pieces were actually plundered off the backs of luckless victims of the Nazi scourge.
Susan Ronald’s book, Hitler’s Art Thief, is a very interesting account of this little known aspect of World War 2 history. She tends to go a little overboard, in my opinion in recounting German history in the early 20th century as she tells the Gurlitt family history. I think this could have been minimized to make the book more readable. I found the current tale of Gurlitt’s demise in 1956 to be glossed over a little too much. I would have liked to have known a little more of what the few families to have claimed their looted art thought of having it restored to them in the 21st century. Hildebrand Gurlitt seemed to me to be a narcissist whose only interest was the beauty of art, with no concern for pain felt by those families from whom he ripped priceless classics to claim as his own. He represented the true heartless evil of the time. Sadly, justice was never realized as even when the works were found, most families were no longer around to claim them, or they had no idea such works existed any longer. They were the victims of ruthless plunder — all for Gurlitt’s gain.
All works were the part of wartime plunder, orchestrated by Gurlitt. After “purchasing” works for the Nazi elite and his private clients what was left was available for Gurlitt to buy. Prior to the start of World War 2 and even during the War itself, Gurlitt sold works in international art shows illicitly to get hard currency for the German government’s war effort, even though Germany was legally prohibited from doing this, but Gurlitt was a master at money laundering to make it possible. Stunningly among his important clients, were American collectors, even while the US was a German opponent in the War. Gurlitt always contended he was saving these masterpieces, but he never acknowledged that the pieces were actually plundered off the backs of luckless victims of the Nazi scourge.
Susan Ronald’s book, Hitler’s Art Thief, is a very interesting account of this little known aspect of World War 2 history. She tends to go a little overboard, in my opinion in recounting German history in the early 20th century as she tells the Gurlitt family history. I think this could have been minimized to make the book more readable. I found the current tale of Gurlitt’s demise in 1956 to be glossed over a little too much. I would have liked to have known a little more of what the few families to have claimed their looted art thought of having it restored to them in the 21st century. Hildebrand Gurlitt seemed to me to be a narcissist whose only interest was the beauty of art, with no concern for pain felt by those families from whom he ripped priceless classics to claim as his own. He represented the true heartless evil of the time. Sadly, justice was never realized as even when the works were found, most families were no longer around to claim them, or they had no idea such works existed any longer. They were the victims of ruthless plunder — all for Gurlitt’s gain.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2016
Have you read “Monuments Men”?
In November 2013, eighty year old Cornelius Gurlitt became an international media superstar when more than 1,400 works of art – valued at over $1.3 billion dollars – were discovered in his Munich apartment. Gurlitt became known as the man who never was. He didn’t have a bank account, he never received a state pension, he never used the country’s health insurance, he didn’t pay taxes, and his apartment was still in the name of his long-deceased mother.
This book looks at the theft of art in Nazi Germany from the point of view of Hitler’s “main” art thief, Hildebrand Gurlitt. He succeeded in looting in the name of the Third Reich and duped not only the Monuments Men, but the Nazis and Hitler [himself], as well.
Some interesting points:
Art is intended to unite people of disparate backgrounds in a combined cultural heritage that transcends national boundaries. It takes many forms – literature, music, dance, fine art, film, and more. It connects our souls. The wholesale theft of art from museums, private individuals, libraries, and archives was highly calculated and well organized by the criminal regime of the Third Reich.
The purpose of this thievery was to fund the war for Hitler and the Third Reich.
The author shows the foundation for World War II in chapter 10. I found this section to be very interesting. The information regarding acceptable forms of payment in 1923 was intriguing – checks and credit cards were no longer accepted. People demanded to be paid in movable values – food or cigarettes, usually for everyday exchanges, and jewelry, rare books, or fine art for more expensive purchases – like automobiles.
Another interesting point was that Hitler appeared to be a rule follower. The only problem was that if he didn’t like a rule or he disagreed with it, he simply had it changed to reflect his wants.
In his speeches and writings, Hitler spread his beliefs in racial "purity" and in the superiority of the "Germanic race"—what he called an Aryan "master race." He pronounced that his race must remain pure in order to one day take over the world. He believed the same was true for German artwork. He declared, “Even before the turn of the century, an element began to intrude into our art which … could be regarded as entirely foreign and unknown.
The cornerstone of Hitler’s campaign to win the hearts of the German people centered on the emotional. He believed that only art – in whatever form – could touch the German people’s souls.
Gurlitt was the first museum director to become a victim of Nazi ideology concerning modern art. Whether it was through the support he had received from other museum director or some introductions or assistance … had provided behind the scenes, he was appointed at long last as director of the Hamburg Kunstverein.
The whole history surrounding his “dream” to save Germany was engrossing, especially in relation to what was considered good art vs. deplorable or offensive paintings.
In regards to art, since the Nazis no longer wanted Expressionist art, Hildebrand Gurlitt immediately saw the benefit of “saving modern art.”
Museum directors who wanted to keep their jobs were in a quandary. To survive, they knew exhibitions deploring modern art were essential.
Most interesting were the auction houses that were owned by Jews that were mysteriously allowed to stay in operation. These included Lepke and Graupe. From March 1933, it became impossible for any auction house to sell works by Jewish artists.
Jewish private collections, like Rothschild and Ephrussi, were also plundered.
I am amazed by the number of works of art that “escaped” to Switzerland.
Impending war inevitably led to the squirreling-away of art treasures throughout Europe. It was fascinating to see where European nations hid their most treasured works.
I learned a lot about the Occupied Zone vs Free Zone, in France.
During WWII, Gurlitt developed a strong hide and donned blinkers to the horrors that surrounded him. He ignored his part in stealing riches from tortured men and women forced to sell their treasures for the price of mere trinkets, and often in an attempt to extend their lives.
Gurlitt’s corruption began in childhood with the misguided principle that he came from a family that knew best how to safeguard art for art’s sake. I was floored to learn that he did a stint working as a German Monuments Man in Belgium during WWI. During this time, he also gave lectures on the superiority of German art. What he never admitted was that once he had begun to act as dealer for Kurt Kirchbach, in the mid-1920’s, he’d felt the exhilaration of power. With power came the craving to greedily nurture it.
Towards the end of the war and after, Gurlitt reveled in the system that he … had set up, which protected his cherished invisibility.
Information for why the Altaussee salt mine was chosen as a safe hidey hole for the evacuation for all the art acquired by Hitler and Linz was interesting – “The beauty of the salt mine was that it had been in operation for centuries and its deep horizons afforded a uniquely perfect atmosphere, with a balanced acidity in the air, a constant temperature of seven degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit), and a steady humidity of 63 percent.
I loved reading about America’s Monuments Men from this perspective!
The information shared about Gurlitt’s preparation for post-Nazi life was intriguing, especially the supposition for how Cornelius and Benita would have seen the preparations.
It is amazing that Gurlitt was never caught for his crimes. I believe he lucked out that the chief interrogator, First Lieutenant Dwight McKay, knew very little about art and the art world – he was literally learning on the job. I don’t know that McKay knew all of the right questions to ask to get at the specific point / truth to discover where the looted art was.
The subsequent investigations, over the years, were engrossing. Even the professionals, who knew what they were looking for, still could not quite maneuver / manipulate the process to get the answers they wanted / needed.
It was pure luck that Cornelius got caught with the goods that his father had obtained more than 70 years earlier. They say a criminal will always make a mistake; he will always trip himself up. This seems to be what happened, in this case.
For me, the most bizarre aspect of this book was how Cornelius (Hildebrand’s son) was able to live not only under the radar, but completely off the grid, and for so long.
Most interesting.
In November 2013, eighty year old Cornelius Gurlitt became an international media superstar when more than 1,400 works of art – valued at over $1.3 billion dollars – were discovered in his Munich apartment. Gurlitt became known as the man who never was. He didn’t have a bank account, he never received a state pension, he never used the country’s health insurance, he didn’t pay taxes, and his apartment was still in the name of his long-deceased mother.
This book looks at the theft of art in Nazi Germany from the point of view of Hitler’s “main” art thief, Hildebrand Gurlitt. He succeeded in looting in the name of the Third Reich and duped not only the Monuments Men, but the Nazis and Hitler [himself], as well.
Some interesting points:
Art is intended to unite people of disparate backgrounds in a combined cultural heritage that transcends national boundaries. It takes many forms – literature, music, dance, fine art, film, and more. It connects our souls. The wholesale theft of art from museums, private individuals, libraries, and archives was highly calculated and well organized by the criminal regime of the Third Reich.
The purpose of this thievery was to fund the war for Hitler and the Third Reich.
The author shows the foundation for World War II in chapter 10. I found this section to be very interesting. The information regarding acceptable forms of payment in 1923 was intriguing – checks and credit cards were no longer accepted. People demanded to be paid in movable values – food or cigarettes, usually for everyday exchanges, and jewelry, rare books, or fine art for more expensive purchases – like automobiles.
Another interesting point was that Hitler appeared to be a rule follower. The only problem was that if he didn’t like a rule or he disagreed with it, he simply had it changed to reflect his wants.
In his speeches and writings, Hitler spread his beliefs in racial "purity" and in the superiority of the "Germanic race"—what he called an Aryan "master race." He pronounced that his race must remain pure in order to one day take over the world. He believed the same was true for German artwork. He declared, “Even before the turn of the century, an element began to intrude into our art which … could be regarded as entirely foreign and unknown.
The cornerstone of Hitler’s campaign to win the hearts of the German people centered on the emotional. He believed that only art – in whatever form – could touch the German people’s souls.
Gurlitt was the first museum director to become a victim of Nazi ideology concerning modern art. Whether it was through the support he had received from other museum director or some introductions or assistance … had provided behind the scenes, he was appointed at long last as director of the Hamburg Kunstverein.
The whole history surrounding his “dream” to save Germany was engrossing, especially in relation to what was considered good art vs. deplorable or offensive paintings.
In regards to art, since the Nazis no longer wanted Expressionist art, Hildebrand Gurlitt immediately saw the benefit of “saving modern art.”
Museum directors who wanted to keep their jobs were in a quandary. To survive, they knew exhibitions deploring modern art were essential.
Most interesting were the auction houses that were owned by Jews that were mysteriously allowed to stay in operation. These included Lepke and Graupe. From March 1933, it became impossible for any auction house to sell works by Jewish artists.
Jewish private collections, like Rothschild and Ephrussi, were also plundered.
I am amazed by the number of works of art that “escaped” to Switzerland.
Impending war inevitably led to the squirreling-away of art treasures throughout Europe. It was fascinating to see where European nations hid their most treasured works.
I learned a lot about the Occupied Zone vs Free Zone, in France.
During WWII, Gurlitt developed a strong hide and donned blinkers to the horrors that surrounded him. He ignored his part in stealing riches from tortured men and women forced to sell their treasures for the price of mere trinkets, and often in an attempt to extend their lives.
Gurlitt’s corruption began in childhood with the misguided principle that he came from a family that knew best how to safeguard art for art’s sake. I was floored to learn that he did a stint working as a German Monuments Man in Belgium during WWI. During this time, he also gave lectures on the superiority of German art. What he never admitted was that once he had begun to act as dealer for Kurt Kirchbach, in the mid-1920’s, he’d felt the exhilaration of power. With power came the craving to greedily nurture it.
Towards the end of the war and after, Gurlitt reveled in the system that he … had set up, which protected his cherished invisibility.
Information for why the Altaussee salt mine was chosen as a safe hidey hole for the evacuation for all the art acquired by Hitler and Linz was interesting – “The beauty of the salt mine was that it had been in operation for centuries and its deep horizons afforded a uniquely perfect atmosphere, with a balanced acidity in the air, a constant temperature of seven degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit), and a steady humidity of 63 percent.
I loved reading about America’s Monuments Men from this perspective!
The information shared about Gurlitt’s preparation for post-Nazi life was intriguing, especially the supposition for how Cornelius and Benita would have seen the preparations.
It is amazing that Gurlitt was never caught for his crimes. I believe he lucked out that the chief interrogator, First Lieutenant Dwight McKay, knew very little about art and the art world – he was literally learning on the job. I don’t know that McKay knew all of the right questions to ask to get at the specific point / truth to discover where the looted art was.
The subsequent investigations, over the years, were engrossing. Even the professionals, who knew what they were looking for, still could not quite maneuver / manipulate the process to get the answers they wanted / needed.
It was pure luck that Cornelius got caught with the goods that his father had obtained more than 70 years earlier. They say a criminal will always make a mistake; he will always trip himself up. This seems to be what happened, in this case.
For me, the most bizarre aspect of this book was how Cornelius (Hildebrand’s son) was able to live not only under the radar, but completely off the grid, and for so long.
Most interesting.
December 1, 2019
Overall the book was interesting but definitely one for readers who love detail. Personally I found the amount of detail bogged the story down and I wound up skimming the pages at times. The book is basically in three parts. The first is a lot about the rise of the Nazi party and the background of the Gurlitt family. The second part is about the looting, buying, hiding and selling of the art works during WW2. I was surprised how many auctions and export permits were issued (many falsely). It seems a lot of the art went to Spain, Portugal, South America, the United States and especially Switzerland. On May 29, 1944 a shipment of 391 artworks arrived in Manhattan. I had no idea that shipments of this magnitude were happening in the middle of the war. The final part was about what happened to the art after WW2, this was the briefest and most disappointing. Mind you the book was written shortly after Cornelius Gurlitt's' stash of artwork was discovered.
July 27, 2018
The incident is a far enough reason for any to get a grab of this book, but this is not written in a History Book fashion nor a Story, but rather like a Police Investigation Report! Boring and dull to the max, REALLY MAX
as for the amount of ART History that is inside? That's correct, but the amount of information does not justify how poor the book performed.
as for the amount of ART History that is inside? That's correct, but the amount of information does not justify how poor the book performed.
December 27, 2019
Plain and simple: The worst book I read in 2019!
What could have been a very interesting story was a incoherent compilation of name after name after name. I fought through the book always hoping to sometimes, somewhere find a central theme but there simply was none. To be honest: I simply cannot tell you in any way, what Susan Ronald tried to achive with this book. Bringing you nearer the history of looting art in the Third Reich? Fail! Introducing one of the main characters of Hitler's art looting? Fail! Therefore: An absolute non-recomondation!
What could have been a very interesting story was a incoherent compilation of name after name after name. I fought through the book always hoping to sometimes, somewhere find a central theme but there simply was none. To be honest: I simply cannot tell you in any way, what Susan Ronald tried to achive with this book. Bringing you nearer the history of looting art in the Third Reich? Fail! Introducing one of the main characters of Hitler's art looting? Fail! Therefore: An absolute non-recomondation!
April 5, 2025
I’d give it 3-4 stars as a dry history book, 2 stars for actual art history and storytelling. Tons of research and primary sources, which maybe could make the basis for an interesting documentary one day.
H. Gurlitt’s biography, in essence, was interesting to me. The book explains his rise to grifter hood and thievery pretty well. The book seems to stop abruptly when it comes to the 2000s when the hidden art stashes were discovered and what happened next.
I appreciated her WW1-WW2 historical facts but it lacked storytelling and cohesive theme.
H. Gurlitt’s biography, in essence, was interesting to me. The book explains his rise to grifter hood and thievery pretty well. The book seems to stop abruptly when it comes to the 2000s when the hidden art stashes were discovered and what happened next.
I appreciated her WW1-WW2 historical facts but it lacked storytelling and cohesive theme.
November 19, 2015
Hitler's Art Thief is a detailed history of Cornelius Gurlitt and the massive collection of art that his father illegally obtained during the Nazi Era. It is amazing that much of this story did not come to light until recently. It took me a little while to get through this book as it was a little dry in sections and is the sort of book you need to be in the right frame of mind for, but overall very interesting.
July 31, 2016
This book was gripping all the way through. I found it fascinating and horrible all at the same time. A kind of grisly true life thriller. The evil men do, including art dealers. Starts before WW I, covers many famous Nazis, famous artworks, WW II, the aftermath, etc. etc. The focus is on Hildebrand Gurlitt, notorious Nazi art dealer, and then his son, Cornelius. A treasure trove of stashed art works worth a billion dollars was discovered in Cornelius' Munich apt. about 1-2 years ago.
February 7, 2016
It took some slogging through to read this book, but it is very good for details and the overall explanation. The book implied that Hitler was a want-to-be artist, so to steal all of that fine art in Europe was sort of a revenge. Also it brought up that the Nazis' labeled art as degenerative if it wasn't classical art, etc.
June 1, 2020
"Rich preys make true men thieves."
Wm. Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis
Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power in the 1930s when Germany suffered an economic Depression that devastated industrial production and personal consumption. Of equal significance, the bill tendered to Germany for war Reparations had come due in the amount of 132Billion Gold Marks, a sum Ronald describes as "crippling [which would] . . .
strangle the very breath from the Weimar Republic, even before it was born [and] resuscitate the Right and give strength to Friecorps [the band of paramilitary thugs that would set the standard for political brutality that the SS, Gestapo, and the SA]. "
Germany's economic predicament fueled the virulent antisemitism espoused by Hitler and embraced by Himmler, Goring, Goebbels, and later Reinhard Heidrich, perhaps the coldest, most diabolical of Himmler's operatives. When the Enabling Act and other racial laws designed to implement the purification of the German people by denying citizenship to Jews, depriving them of the benefit of and protection of the laws and due process of law, and forbidding them to own property in their own right, the German Reichsmark (RM) essentially had become valueless on overseas currency exchanges while unrestrained inflation roared internally.
Germany was doomed to communities of starving people, non-existent consumer demand, and the inability to sell what products it did make. It could not conduct trade in foreign markets because the RM was valueless, while bankers and lenders refused to lend because those lenders lost all confidence in German ability to repay in the face of its huge war reparations bill then due, payable, and being demanded to be repaid by Britain, Franch, and America. Inflation raged. Bread was priced out of reach of virtually every German.
The need to acquire foreign exchange, therefore, was essential because only foreign exchange--in the face of the devastation wrung down upon the RM--would allow the Nazi government to fuel the post War industrial and consumer boom it required to stabilize the society and the government. Hitler and his cabal of thugs and enforcers were left to this task. It became policy and law that the most efficient way to do this was to confiscate property owned by Jews, and, to the extent that it served no usefulness to the personal tastes of the Nazis and Nazi thieves like Hitler, Goebbels, Goring, and their agents, "degenerate" (Jewish, Romani, homosexual) property, especially "degenerate art" could be sold to foreign connoisseurs and museums in France, Britain, and yes, the United States.
For art dealers like Hildebrand Gurlitt, the occupational call of a lifetime rang out. Not only would he and the art connoisseurs now serve as advisors to prominent Nazi officials, businessmen, and bankers, they would become collectors of some of the greatest arts held in collections of prominent German and French Jews--Rothschilds among them. They also could support Nazi antisemitism while earning substantial commissions and brokering fees on both ends of the acquisition and sale transactions. Jewish collectors rarely were compensated for their art stolen from them. Nevertheless, a value would be assigned once the work came into possession of the dealers, and the ultimate buyer would pay brokerage fees based on the front and back end values of the trade. It was nothing short of a gold mine for men who lacked even the slightest degree of morality about what they engaged--theft, fencing, resale, and money laundering. The "buyers" of this art were able to purchase normally unavailable art at knock down prices, often paid for by the government, but the dealers and brokers received fees based on full value most of the time. Hitler himself had decided that he, a failed and incompetent poseur of an artist, would construct his own Hitler Museum in Linz (which reminded me of an early version of the Presidential Libraries in America--what will happen when it's Trump turn to enjoy this perk-floor after floor o MAGA hats and Trump-Pence campaign signs?) and the dealers help service this concocted function. The scheme devised constituted perhaps the largest, most open Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations activity conducted in the open with the protection of the laws of Nazi Germany and the sometimes subtle consent of Nazi officials.
The theft of art from collections owned by Jewish business people and citizens found its justification in the virulent antisemitism practiced by Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, and Goring, although it must be said that, while Goring used the race laws to justify his considerable appetite for theft, he was aided and abetted by his enormous appetites for splendor and ostentation that infected every aspect of his work, every pore of his existence. Jewish artists, too, were not exempt, either. The antisemitic justification for enacting laws requiring that Jewish art and property revert to the Reich without just compensation was a justification of legal convenience, the syllogism of which went something like this: Germany must return to its pure racial Aryan heritage. Involvement of Jews in any aspect of the German culture infects this purity, whether it derives from ancestry, marriage, success in business, and the ownership of wealth acquired by successful pursuits in business, law, medicine, or any other professional, business, or occupational pursuit, or by inheritance. Permitting Jews to own property, personal wealth, business, or banking enterprises is encourage the pollution of Aryan German purity and hence must be discouraged and denied by the confiscation of property from Jews--all Jews, not simply the richest among. This German philosophy was so simple in its syllogism and so vile in what it permitted that once practiced, it could not be stopped. Hildebrand Gurlitt, a Mischling, acquired thousands of pieces of confiscated "degenerate" art, sculpture, drawings, and property owned by Jews but maintained his separation from Nazism his entire life. It really until 2013 when his son Cornelius, then in his 80s, was given a customs check by a Eurozone customs officer, that the secretion of this stolen art began to unravel and a few heirs began to have their claims for restitution satisfied.
The author, who worked for an investment bank, was well situated to tell this story and she did her research, too. She tells of her personal experience while working for the investment bank, of catching sight of a Louis Gurlitt artwork in the vault of a Swiss bank, but when she questioned the bank officer who accompanied her on her inventory preparation for a client was spirited away quickly with no answer to her question. Indeed, it confirmed to her what Monuments Men and lawyers representing the families of Jewish claimants knew but might not be able to offer specific proof: that banking institutions (and museums) in and out of Germany, including Switzerland, France, and America) were silent conspirators.
Ronald's story ends around 2014 when Cornelius Gurlitt's died but his hidden cache of art, stored in a decrepit Salzburg residence owned by Gurlitt, later was discovered. Her story remains uncompleted but what is known is that this discovery opened the curtains on a post-war humiliation endured by Jews whose parents and ancestors had perished in the concentration camps only after their property had been stolen by the Nazis and the Nazi agents like Hildebrand Gurlitt. This story and the shame of it all continues.
Wm. Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis
Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power in the 1930s when Germany suffered an economic Depression that devastated industrial production and personal consumption. Of equal significance, the bill tendered to Germany for war Reparations had come due in the amount of 132Billion Gold Marks, a sum Ronald describes as "crippling [which would] . . .
strangle the very breath from the Weimar Republic, even before it was born [and] resuscitate the Right and give strength to Friecorps [the band of paramilitary thugs that would set the standard for political brutality that the SS, Gestapo, and the SA]. "
Germany's economic predicament fueled the virulent antisemitism espoused by Hitler and embraced by Himmler, Goring, Goebbels, and later Reinhard Heidrich, perhaps the coldest, most diabolical of Himmler's operatives. When the Enabling Act and other racial laws designed to implement the purification of the German people by denying citizenship to Jews, depriving them of the benefit of and protection of the laws and due process of law, and forbidding them to own property in their own right, the German Reichsmark (RM) essentially had become valueless on overseas currency exchanges while unrestrained inflation roared internally.
Germany was doomed to communities of starving people, non-existent consumer demand, and the inability to sell what products it did make. It could not conduct trade in foreign markets because the RM was valueless, while bankers and lenders refused to lend because those lenders lost all confidence in German ability to repay in the face of its huge war reparations bill then due, payable, and being demanded to be repaid by Britain, Franch, and America. Inflation raged. Bread was priced out of reach of virtually every German.
The need to acquire foreign exchange, therefore, was essential because only foreign exchange--in the face of the devastation wrung down upon the RM--would allow the Nazi government to fuel the post War industrial and consumer boom it required to stabilize the society and the government. Hitler and his cabal of thugs and enforcers were left to this task. It became policy and law that the most efficient way to do this was to confiscate property owned by Jews, and, to the extent that it served no usefulness to the personal tastes of the Nazis and Nazi thieves like Hitler, Goebbels, Goring, and their agents, "degenerate" (Jewish, Romani, homosexual) property, especially "degenerate art" could be sold to foreign connoisseurs and museums in France, Britain, and yes, the United States.
For art dealers like Hildebrand Gurlitt, the occupational call of a lifetime rang out. Not only would he and the art connoisseurs now serve as advisors to prominent Nazi officials, businessmen, and bankers, they would become collectors of some of the greatest arts held in collections of prominent German and French Jews--Rothschilds among them. They also could support Nazi antisemitism while earning substantial commissions and brokering fees on both ends of the acquisition and sale transactions. Jewish collectors rarely were compensated for their art stolen from them. Nevertheless, a value would be assigned once the work came into possession of the dealers, and the ultimate buyer would pay brokerage fees based on the front and back end values of the trade. It was nothing short of a gold mine for men who lacked even the slightest degree of morality about what they engaged--theft, fencing, resale, and money laundering. The "buyers" of this art were able to purchase normally unavailable art at knock down prices, often paid for by the government, but the dealers and brokers received fees based on full value most of the time. Hitler himself had decided that he, a failed and incompetent poseur of an artist, would construct his own Hitler Museum in Linz (which reminded me of an early version of the Presidential Libraries in America--what will happen when it's Trump turn to enjoy this perk-floor after floor o MAGA hats and Trump-Pence campaign signs?) and the dealers help service this concocted function. The scheme devised constituted perhaps the largest, most open Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations activity conducted in the open with the protection of the laws of Nazi Germany and the sometimes subtle consent of Nazi officials.
The theft of art from collections owned by Jewish business people and citizens found its justification in the virulent antisemitism practiced by Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, and Goring, although it must be said that, while Goring used the race laws to justify his considerable appetite for theft, he was aided and abetted by his enormous appetites for splendor and ostentation that infected every aspect of his work, every pore of his existence. Jewish artists, too, were not exempt, either. The antisemitic justification for enacting laws requiring that Jewish art and property revert to the Reich without just compensation was a justification of legal convenience, the syllogism of which went something like this: Germany must return to its pure racial Aryan heritage. Involvement of Jews in any aspect of the German culture infects this purity, whether it derives from ancestry, marriage, success in business, and the ownership of wealth acquired by successful pursuits in business, law, medicine, or any other professional, business, or occupational pursuit, or by inheritance. Permitting Jews to own property, personal wealth, business, or banking enterprises is encourage the pollution of Aryan German purity and hence must be discouraged and denied by the confiscation of property from Jews--all Jews, not simply the richest among. This German philosophy was so simple in its syllogism and so vile in what it permitted that once practiced, it could not be stopped. Hildebrand Gurlitt, a Mischling, acquired thousands of pieces of confiscated "degenerate" art, sculpture, drawings, and property owned by Jews but maintained his separation from Nazism his entire life. It really until 2013 when his son Cornelius, then in his 80s, was given a customs check by a Eurozone customs officer, that the secretion of this stolen art began to unravel and a few heirs began to have their claims for restitution satisfied.
The author, who worked for an investment bank, was well situated to tell this story and she did her research, too. She tells of her personal experience while working for the investment bank, of catching sight of a Louis Gurlitt artwork in the vault of a Swiss bank, but when she questioned the bank officer who accompanied her on her inventory preparation for a client was spirited away quickly with no answer to her question. Indeed, it confirmed to her what Monuments Men and lawyers representing the families of Jewish claimants knew but might not be able to offer specific proof: that banking institutions (and museums) in and out of Germany, including Switzerland, France, and America) were silent conspirators.
Ronald's story ends around 2014 when Cornelius Gurlitt's died but his hidden cache of art, stored in a decrepit Salzburg residence owned by Gurlitt, later was discovered. Her story remains uncompleted but what is known is that this discovery opened the curtains on a post-war humiliation endured by Jews whose parents and ancestors had perished in the concentration camps only after their property had been stolen by the Nazis and the Nazi agents like Hildebrand Gurlitt. This story and the shame of it all continues.
June 13, 2024
This book is an impressive historical work, compiling an overwhelming number of facts and reports concerning a fascinating facet of the Nazi takeover that I wasn't formerly aware of.
That said, it was a tough book to get through. The author makes a great historian, with names and dates recorded meticulously. I do feel, however, that she overdid herself. All of the -arguably unnecessary- details made for an arduous reading process, despite how interesting I found the subject.
I think the author may have found her own endeavor overly ambitious as well, aa I encountered several instances of questionable organization.
Complaints aside, this book would make a great supplement to a history course, if you had a timeline nearby, and made certain to record lists of names and dates in order to keep everything straight while reading.
That said, it was a tough book to get through. The author makes a great historian, with names and dates recorded meticulously. I do feel, however, that she overdid herself. All of the -arguably unnecessary- details made for an arduous reading process, despite how interesting I found the subject.
I think the author may have found her own endeavor overly ambitious as well, aa I encountered several instances of questionable organization.
Complaints aside, this book would make a great supplement to a history course, if you had a timeline nearby, and made certain to record lists of names and dates in order to keep everything straight while reading.
April 28, 2020
Another sad result of War. (what is it good for--absolutely nothing)
Perhaps I would have rated it higher if I read rather than listened, it was hard to keep names straight without seeing them in print so I was sometimes confused and I found it took a while at each listening to adjust to and process the narrator's voice. This is a sad reckoning of one of the many disastrous results of people thinking they are better than or deserve more than their neighbor.
Why can't we all just get along.
Quotes:
the hippocracy of the German Art world during the war- tried to keep artists and galleries alive by showing their modern(current) art as 'exhibitions of shame' and 'images of cultural Bolshevism'
" Evil thrives on misery and Hitler was absolutely blooming. After the Stock Market Crash of 1929 Germany as well as the rest of the world was plunged into deep depression."
Beware
Perhaps I would have rated it higher if I read rather than listened, it was hard to keep names straight without seeing them in print so I was sometimes confused and I found it took a while at each listening to adjust to and process the narrator's voice. This is a sad reckoning of one of the many disastrous results of people thinking they are better than or deserve more than their neighbor.
Why can't we all just get along.
Quotes:
the hippocracy of the German Art world during the war- tried to keep artists and galleries alive by showing their modern(current) art as 'exhibitions of shame' and 'images of cultural Bolshevism'
" Evil thrives on misery and Hitler was absolutely blooming. After the Stock Market Crash of 1929 Germany as well as the rest of the world was plunged into deep depression."
Beware
abandoned
July 11, 2021This subject seemed like it should fascinate me, but perhaps a documentary or a short article would better meet my needs. Ronald's book is incredibly detailed and I got bogged down in early 20th century European geopolitical history, and a much-too-long list of German names, places, and organizations. By chapter 5, I realized I was no longer even trying to take in all the facts being thrown my way and, more importantly, wasn't enjoying the book. Abandoned without a rating, as I don't think I read enough to give it a fair critique. It just wasn't for me.
September 9, 2022
Serving as a revelation of how the Nazis of WWII plundered the masterpieces of Europe (both in private, often Jewish, hands and also in various public museums), this well-documented narrative is both breathtaking and heartbreaking. Moreover, I am left in the end with a hollow feeling: something important is missing. Except for a very few works (“Two Riders on the Beach” by Max Lieberman, for example), restoration to the rightful owners or their heirs has been rare. Is this an information gap that another book can rectify, or have Nazi hands reached out from the grave to commit yet another atrocity?
December 28, 2023
Were I from a family seeking to have my looted paintings returned, I would have appreciated the author’s incredible research more. Alas, I am not and there were so many boring, to me, details that I found the book incredibly hard to read. It is about a disgusting man in a horrific crime. Enough said.
November 18, 2017
For me, “Hitler’s Art Thief”—a hybrid of art history and WWII history—was a book that struggled to justify its existence.
Ronald uses the 2013 discovery of priceless artworks in a Munich apartment as the fulcrum of this story about yet another component of Hitler’s Master Plan: the acquiring of certain kinds of art and the purging of others kinds of art. Just as Hitler idealized racial purity, so did he idealize a kind of artistic purity, believing that the proper German art collections would further affirm German superiority.
Enticing. So what’s not to like? Well, while the synopsis is intriguing, the execution is a letdown.
What I mean by ‘struggling to justify its existence’ is that the story being told really didn’t require this much detail, i.e., a feeling of bureaucracy pervades the narrative. It seems that in order to balloon this story to 320 pp., Ronald threw in copious minutiae, making the actual reading experience a slog…
It cannot be denied that “Hitler’s Art Thief” is an impressive bit of research, but its entertainment value is nil.
Ronald uses the 2013 discovery of priceless artworks in a Munich apartment as the fulcrum of this story about yet another component of Hitler’s Master Plan: the acquiring of certain kinds of art and the purging of others kinds of art. Just as Hitler idealized racial purity, so did he idealize a kind of artistic purity, believing that the proper German art collections would further affirm German superiority.
Enticing. So what’s not to like? Well, while the synopsis is intriguing, the execution is a letdown.
What I mean by ‘struggling to justify its existence’ is that the story being told really didn’t require this much detail, i.e., a feeling of bureaucracy pervades the narrative. It seems that in order to balloon this story to 320 pp., Ronald threw in copious minutiae, making the actual reading experience a slog…
It cannot be denied that “Hitler’s Art Thief” is an impressive bit of research, but its entertainment value is nil.
January 18, 2021
Aș spune că este o carte destul de dificilă, cu foarte multe detalii, dar per total, din punctul meu este genială. Asta poate și pentru că mă fascinează oarecum perioada celor Două Războaie Mondiale și pot să spun că am citit câteva cărți și am vizionat numeroase documentare despre subiect, dar niciodată nu mi-am imaginat impactul pe care l-a avut Arta în timpul războiului. Toate relatările, construirea personajelor, date, fapte, nume, locații, totul este probat de către autor cu sursa exactă. Nu pot să-mi imaginez decât toată munca titanică depusă de autor în paginile acestei cărți. Una dintre favoritele mele!
October 10, 2015
After reading about fifty pages, I could no longer deal with this book. I found the beginning to be quite boring and it never changed for me. Too bad. I really thought that the subject matter would have been more interesting, but there's too many extemporaneous details that I don't believe are needed.
January 2, 2016
If you're a fan of history and you have even a slight interest in art, this is a great book. It is very detail oriented, and can be a little slow at times, but the story is fascinating. Although we may never know the extent of the looting that took place - and it may never be found - it's good to know that the art wasn't all destroyed.
January 5, 2020
Back in the 1930s and 1940s, the Nazis teamed up with art experts to rob Europe's Jews of priceless art, often via forced sales. Susan Ronald chronicles one man's extraordinary career of thievery in her book.
September 15, 2015
Въпреки сензационното заглавие и анотация, в книгата няма нищо жълто или скандално. Интересно и сериозно историческо четиво е.
September 12, 2024
This book combines a biographical study of the Gurlitt family with a micro history of their art dealings from the early 20th Century through the end of WWII and a comprehensive history of art confiscation by the National Socialist regime in Germany. How Hildebrand Gurlitt successfully emerged untainted from De-Nazification by a combination of his cleverness and Allied bureaucratic ineptitude is a fascinating story that finally came to light with the astonishing (and accidental) discovery of a vast hoard of looted art held by his son Cornelius. Ms. Ronald creates parallel narratives about the early lives of Hildebrand Gurlitt and his future client Adolph Hitler which may have seemed necessary in 2015 due to a lack of biographical attention to Hitler's life pre-NSDAP. It isn't as useful in 2024 since that gap has been filled by numerous works including James Longo's excellent Hitler and the Habsburgs: The Fuhrer's Vendetta Against the Austrian Royals (2018). For anyone not in need of a survey course in European History 1900-1945, the parallel structure includes a lot of extra material. For those readers, parts of the first half of this book can be skimmed, but do so carefully because mixed in with that part is some good information about the loss and preservation of European art during the First World War. The middle of the book chronicles the legal theft of "degenerate" art from private owners by the NSDAP regime. The Gurlitts get lost in that section, and it could have been reduced to a summary. Once we get to Gurlitt's opportunism in acquiring "degenerate" art, the story is focused and fascinating. That continues through the death of Hildebrand, the exposure and death of his son Cornelius and the disposition of their looted treasures. Ms. Ronald is well-qualified, did abundant research and writes very intelligently. (You won't find the word 'forfend' in many books.) This book is a valuable reference for a terrible time. That said, I found her commentary obsequious when reflecting current attitudes. It gives the impression that all her business, academic and literary peers are moral paragons. She observes Gurlitt and others of his ilk like a biologist studying germs in a petri dish. Yet in less than a decade since her book was published, anti-Semitism has regained respectability among the Western intelligentsia. As anti-Zionism, its classic Tsarist-Stalinist form, it energizes a political movement working to rid the world of a "Zionist entity" whose inhabitants are cast as the evil "Elders of Zion." Western elites who bemoan the world "letting" Hitler steal from the Jews and destroy Europe in Gurlitt's day champion the same hate today as a fight for justice. On page 118, she describes Hitler's time in Landsberg prison writing his manifesto as "...this foundation of Nazism and the cult of Hitler...would be infamously called Mein Kampf." In Arabic translation, that book now sits proudly on shelves in Gaza, Qatar, Tehran and faculty offices of our universities. The ugly thugs of 1933 are the righteous militants of 2023. Should they set our world aflame, someone can write books pondering how we let it happen. Recommended to anyone interested in the aftermath of WWII in Europe.
July 4, 2017
I love lost art stories... this is not exactly a lost art story.
The title suggests that Hildebrand Gurlitt looted art for Hitler, but there's very little to suggest in this meticulously detailed book, that Hildebrand actually met Hitler, or was looting on his command - but rather, that he took advantage of the Nazi regime's "rules" at the time to do so on his own volition. He had been involved in the art world for years, and much of what he collected (and truthfully, may have saved from destruction) was modern art, much of which was condemned.
This book is a fairly involved account of German life between World Word I and II, the political climate, and Hitler's rise to power. It's somewhat easy to see how in such a bleakly painted picture, how many may have looked to Hitler to be the savior of Germany (hindsight, of course, paints a very different reality).
I found the names and places and art dealers and political machinations and shenanigans a bit hard to follow at times - I just couldn't build the mental map needed to understand how they all related. And honestly, I felt that very little was said about Cornelius, the son who was the one actually found with all the art, and more on is death - that it felt like an enormous build up, to no real climatic end. Perhaps intended, in that it's not actually a surprise, but I would have liked to read more about the post war years, and about Cornelius.
I will say, the comments at the end do make you wonder if he may have more art squirreled away somewhere yet to be found.
The title suggests that Hildebrand Gurlitt looted art for Hitler, but there's very little to suggest in this meticulously detailed book, that Hildebrand actually met Hitler, or was looting on his command - but rather, that he took advantage of the Nazi regime's "rules" at the time to do so on his own volition. He had been involved in the art world for years, and much of what he collected (and truthfully, may have saved from destruction) was modern art, much of which was condemned.
This book is a fairly involved account of German life between World Word I and II, the political climate, and Hitler's rise to power. It's somewhat easy to see how in such a bleakly painted picture, how many may have looked to Hitler to be the savior of Germany (hindsight, of course, paints a very different reality).
I found the names and places and art dealers and political machinations and shenanigans a bit hard to follow at times - I just couldn't build the mental map needed to understand how they all related. And honestly, I felt that very little was said about Cornelius, the son who was the one actually found with all the art, and more on is death - that it felt like an enormous build up, to no real climatic end. Perhaps intended, in that it's not actually a surprise, but I would have liked to read more about the post war years, and about Cornelius.
I will say, the comments at the end do make you wonder if he may have more art squirreled away somewhere yet to be found.
October 16, 2020
I am not a fan of history books unless they are marvelously written and spiked with surprising tidbits. This book, which is decidedly a history book and not an art book, was selected as a read by my art book-club so I plowed through, frankly skimming after the first half of the book. The banal writing and the excess of irrelevant information were grueling to plod through. Time and again author Ronald dangles a bit of potentially intriguing information that is never again explained. One person in my art book club said that it's as if Ronald knows so much, and she just has to tell it all.
Although Ronald repeats thoughts about the importance of art, her knowledge or appreciation of art or artists is omitted. We learn nothing about the artists involved with the stunning Gurlitt art looting.
A biography that centered on Cornelius Gurlitt III, the hapless octogenarian who acquired this bonanza of thousands of artworks and documents, would have been an infinitely more interesting book. The conclusion of the book was the only section that gave me some interest.
I appreciate the author's exhaustive attempt to elucidate this astounding find of looted artwork, but I don't recommend reading the book. I found much more interesting material about the Gurlitt case from magazine articles and museum videos.
Although Ronald repeats thoughts about the importance of art, her knowledge or appreciation of art or artists is omitted. We learn nothing about the artists involved with the stunning Gurlitt art looting.
A biography that centered on Cornelius Gurlitt III, the hapless octogenarian who acquired this bonanza of thousands of artworks and documents, would have been an infinitely more interesting book. The conclusion of the book was the only section that gave me some interest.
I appreciate the author's exhaustive attempt to elucidate this astounding find of looted artwork, but I don't recommend reading the book. I found much more interesting material about the Gurlitt case from magazine articles and museum videos.
May 18, 2024
The story started out strong. About the midway point, I felt as though it was getting painful to read.
I think there were people brought in who maybe could have just had their part in the notes. An expert or something would be introduced as part of one sentence. It was like Ronald was namedropping. This expert maybe had one interaction with Gurlitt, but the author somehow felt this person needed more introduction. They'd never appeared in the story again.
I found the topic fascinating and if many of the ancillary people could have been omitted or moved to notes, then I think I would have liked this much better.
I learned quite about about the early Hitler. Initially, the author seemed to weave the stories of Gurlitt and Hitler together. Then, it just stopped and focused all on Gurlitt. I would have preferred to have this continue.
I wanted to really like this book, but it was not to be.
I think there were people brought in who maybe could have just had their part in the notes. An expert or something would be introduced as part of one sentence. It was like Ronald was namedropping. This expert maybe had one interaction with Gurlitt, but the author somehow felt this person needed more introduction. They'd never appeared in the story again.
I found the topic fascinating and if many of the ancillary people could have been omitted or moved to notes, then I think I would have liked this much better.
I learned quite about about the early Hitler. Initially, the author seemed to weave the stories of Gurlitt and Hitler together. Then, it just stopped and focused all on Gurlitt. I would have preferred to have this continue.
I wanted to really like this book, but it was not to be.
June 8, 2025
This was a good read - a well researched book detailing some interesting facts and and even more interesting characters.
It took a little while to get to the Nazi art plundering but documenting the social upheaval of WWI and its aftermath were important in explaining the creation of the conditions for such a thing to occur. I was engaged the entire time.
Hildebrand Gurlitt became one of the most prolific art looters going from strength to strength during the Nazi era leading up to and during WWII. He established the most amazing techniques akin to "money laundering" of art all across Europe. There was an astronomical amount of art constantly flowing with sleight of hand techniques, obfuscation and blatant lies.
Gurlitt became self deluded in normalising his behaviour of theft, particularly from Jews and anyone the Nazis deemed to be non-German. He was nothing short of an obsessive compulsive art thief.
It took a little while to get to the Nazi art plundering but documenting the social upheaval of WWI and its aftermath were important in explaining the creation of the conditions for such a thing to occur. I was engaged the entire time.
Hildebrand Gurlitt became one of the most prolific art looters going from strength to strength during the Nazi era leading up to and during WWII. He established the most amazing techniques akin to "money laundering" of art all across Europe. There was an astronomical amount of art constantly flowing with sleight of hand techniques, obfuscation and blatant lies.
Gurlitt became self deluded in normalising his behaviour of theft, particularly from Jews and anyone the Nazis deemed to be non-German. He was nothing short of an obsessive compulsive art thief.
April 21, 2021
Such a shame. A HARD slog. Firstly the amount of research done for this book is amazing, comprehensive. Kudos to the author.
It was such a brain dump of information about how Germany got to WW1 & WW2, so MUCH historical detail - it could have been much less. I have read better books on the subject.
Whilst I totally agree context is very important, heck, it shouldn't put you to sleep. I persevered for 100 pages, then skimmed, then didn't bother. I wanted to read about the looting of the art, but it was so convoluted - I didn't want to read about a history of the 2 WW's.
She does have access to some of the family correspondence which is enlightening, and gives insight into the state of mind of the family, however I just COULDN'T get into this. It felt like the art was an aside throughout. And also too macro.
It was such a brain dump of information about how Germany got to WW1 & WW2, so MUCH historical detail - it could have been much less. I have read better books on the subject.
Whilst I totally agree context is very important, heck, it shouldn't put you to sleep. I persevered for 100 pages, then skimmed, then didn't bother. I wanted to read about the looting of the art, but it was so convoluted - I didn't want to read about a history of the 2 WW's.
She does have access to some of the family correspondence which is enlightening, and gives insight into the state of mind of the family, however I just COULDN'T get into this. It felt like the art was an aside throughout. And also too macro.
April 1, 2024
I can tell this was well researched but the writing too often felt like lecture notes strung together without a coherent flow, and the majority of the writing was not about Hildebrand Gurlitt. Not to mention it was difficult to keep track of all the numerous people discussed.
This book did a great job explaining the rise to WWI, the war itself, the Depression, rise of the Nazis and WWII. Gurlitt of course appeared on occasion through this, but it really felt like a book on the rise of Nazism, and less about "Hitler's Art Thief". Really 2/3 of the book on the peripheral details and 1/3 on Gurlitt and family.
So overall, if you want a book on background for Nazis and modern German history, with a slight art bent, then this is a great resource. If you're really into art history, then you might be disappointed.
This book did a great job explaining the rise to WWI, the war itself, the Depression, rise of the Nazis and WWII. Gurlitt of course appeared on occasion through this, but it really felt like a book on the rise of Nazism, and less about "Hitler's Art Thief". Really 2/3 of the book on the peripheral details and 1/3 on Gurlitt and family.
So overall, if you want a book on background for Nazis and modern German history, with a slight art bent, then this is a great resource. If you're really into art history, then you might be disappointed.
April 21, 2020
This was a meticulously researched book that will appeal to readers who love all the details on a subject. I enjoyed this book as it’s on a topic I’m fascinated by (art crime & art looting during WWII) but I did find the writing quite dense and at times it was too bogged down with the minute detail.
The story of Cornelius Gurlitt and the paintings discovered in his apartment in 2013 is super interesting but I felt the author spent more time on his father and how he collected/looted the art and not enough time on Cornelius and how the discovery of the collection in 2013 was handled. I think there could have been a better balance between both stories. But overall, an interesting book from Susan Ronald.
The story of Cornelius Gurlitt and the paintings discovered in his apartment in 2013 is super interesting but I felt the author spent more time on his father and how he collected/looted the art and not enough time on Cornelius and how the discovery of the collection in 2013 was handled. I think there could have been a better balance between both stories. But overall, an interesting book from Susan Ronald.
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