Cornelius Gurlitt (art collector)
Rolf Nicholas Cornelius Gurlitt ( born December 28, 1932 in Hamburg) is the heir of the more than 1,500 -piece art collection of his father Hildebrand.
Life
Gurlitt is the son of art dealer, art historian and museum director Hildebrand Gurlitt and grandson of his namesake, the art historian Cornelius Gurlitt and great-grandnephew of his other namesake, the composer Cornelius Gurlitt. His great-grandfather was the landscape painter Louis Gurlitt. His uncle was the musicologist Wilibald Gurlitt. His mother Helene (nee Hanke, 1895-1967 ) was a dancer and one of the first students of Mary Wigman, she was known by her stage name " Bumpkin ". Cornelius Gurlitt grew up in Hamburg's Dammtorbahnhof together with a sister.
Gurlitt attended elementary school in Hamburg. His family moved during the Second World War to Dresden, where he attended high school. From 1946 to 1948 he attended the reform- pedagogical boarding school in the Hessian Odenwald Ober-Hambach. After high school he studied art history at the University of Cologne, also heard lectures in philosophy and music theory, but broke off his studies. He has, at least in recent years lived in very reclusive manner predominantly with the left behind by his father 's art collection and for their conservation, without, however, also create your own purchases.
The end of 2013, the Munich District Court had ordered an interim care for health reasons for Gurlitt. His supervisor is the specialized care law Munich lawyer Christoph Edel.
Gurlitt Collection
The Augsburg public prosecutor confiscated in the days from February 28 to March 2, 2012, all of the previously known 1.280 derived from the estate of his father's art, which were stored in the Munich apartment Cornelius Gurlitt. This became known to the public through a report of the news magazine Focus on 3 November 2013. The Augsburg public prosecutor explained that she was investigating Cornelius Gurlitt because " a tax secrecy subject to criminal facts " and on suspicion of embezzlement.
Gurlitt adopted in November 2013 at the allegations against him position. In an interview with the magazine Der Spiegel, he said, the judiciary and the media questioned the relationships misrepresent All artworks were legally acquired by his father and was passed on to him. On a voluntary return he did not think so. His lawyer contradicted the end of January, 2014 the New York Times this representation of the mirror; his client had always been interested in a fair and equitable solution.
In February 2014 was Gurlitt caregivers more than 60 works of art from Gurlitt's house to make sure in Salzburg, including works by Claude Monet, Pierre- Auguste Renoir and Pablo Picasso, to protect against burglary and theft; the works are to be examined on their origin. End of March 2014 announced the attorneys and representatives Gurlitt that the Salzburg part of the collection is four times larger than assumed so far and a total of 238 Kunstgestände - including 39 oil paintings - includes. The other works, were discovered at times but inspections of the house, which Gurlitt have not set foot in since 2011 in previously inaccessible parts of the building. The total number of known works in the collection Gurlitt rose to more than 1,500 works of art.
On February 14, 2014 submitted by lawyers Gurlitt the Augsburg District Court appeal against the seizure of an art collection. The lawyers claim the return of the collection because of procedural irregularities by the then court order. The seizure of images infringes the principle of proportionality.
As announced on March 26, 2014 Gurlitt intended all the pictures that were stolen Jewish property, be returned to the owners or their descendants.
Known sales
The auction house Lempertz in Cologne sold the gouache work lion tamer by Max Beckmann for 864,000 Euros in the summer of 2011. Since in the course of provenance research came up with the Auction House the suspicion of Jewish art dealer Alfred Flechtheim 've sold the work in 1933 due to persecution, to Gurlitt agreed with the heirs Flechtheim in a comparison to share the proceeds with them.