They say a picture paints a thousand words, but you won't believe what one collection of paintings speak of when you see them for yourself.
Reclaimed: Paintings from the Collection for Jacques Goudstikker is on display at the McNay Art Museum today through January 10th.
The stories these paintings will tell you are more than 60 years of trying to get back to its rightful owner. During World War II, Jewish families were forced to leave their homes... only to return to see much of their belongings gone... and stolen by the Nazis.
Jacques Goudstikker was an influential Dutch-Jewish art collector and dealer. He transformed the art world in The Netherlands. He and wife Dési hosted lavish parties and gatherings at their home. A former opera singer, Dési was also the mother of their son Eduard (Edo).
But their beautiful world would soon be lost. The threat of the Third Reich spread throughout most of Western Europe. Jacques prepared his family for the worst. He sent money and some artwork to the United States where the family would escape. They first travelled to England from The Netherlands by boat. Unfortunately, Jacques' journey ended suddently when he went on a nighttime stroll on the ship's deck. He fell into the hold of the boat, broke his neck and died. Jacques' body was found the next morning and with him was a little black book. It would turn out to be very important in the years to come.
One of Hitler's men, Hermann Goring was already staking his claim inside Goudstikker's Gallery. He forced Jacques' employees to sell his paintings to the Nazis for less than their true value. The late prominent collector owned more than 1,400 paintings many of them from the Renaissance era. Some 800 pieces of artwork were taken to Germany.
Today they've been discovered from Canada to South Africa to everywhere in-between.
At the McNay, you'll see a reproduction of the black notebook Jacques held onto at the time of his death. The book is filled with notes meticulously inventoried of his collection.
After the War, Mrs. Goudstikker returned to Holland with the little black book. She found out many of her husband's paintings were "legally" sold and distributed to Dutch museums. She ended up buying back some of those paintings, but was limited to what she could afford.
Years later, a Dutch investigative reporter contacted the family with news there were changes in Dutch law that could help their case. Unfortunately, Mrs. Goudstikker never lived to see much of it resolved, nor did her son, Eduard. Instead, Edo's wife Marei Von Saher would carry it through. With the help of her attorney, Lawrence Kaye, the paintings are slowly resurfacing. Some 200 have been reclaimed.
It was great to meet Jacques' family. They have been through so much reclaiming their belongings. Marei agrees it's been a labor of love. Years of legal battles and they are ainting a different picture -- what was rightfully theirs was wrongfully taken and finally returned.
Be sure to stop by the McNay Art Museum, located at 6000 North New Braunfels Avenue in San Antonio. You only have a couple months before the exhibit leaves town. Its next couple stops are West Palm Beach, Florida and San Francisco, California.
