The Orpheus Clock: The Search for My Family's Art Treasures

The Orpheus Clock: The Search for My Family's Art Treasures Stolen by the Nazis

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

Simon Goodmanâ€™s grandparents came from German-Jewish banking dynasties and perished in concentration camps. And thatâ€™s almost all he knew about themâ€”his father rarely spoke of their family history or heritage. But when he passed away, and Simon received his fatherâ€™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 Germanyâ€™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 fatherâ€™s efforts to recover their familyâ€™s prized possessions. It was only after his fatherâ€™s death that Simon began to piece together the clues about the Gutmannsâ€™ 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 bureaucratsâ€”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.

Goodmanâ€™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.
Country USA
Brand Scribner Book Company
Manufacturer Scribner
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber illustrations
ReleaseDate 2015-08-25
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781451697636

Country	USA
Brand	Scribner Book Company
Manufacturer	Scribner
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	illustrations
ReleaseDate	2015-08-25
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781451697636

The Orpheus Clock: The Search for My Family's Art Treasures Stolen by the Nazis