Cornelius Gurlitt and the hidden art collection
Cornelius Gurlitt is the son of the Nazi art collector, Hildebrand Gurlitt. During World War Two, Hildebrand Gurlitt was commissioned as one of the chief art looters for Hitler. Throughout the war, Hidelbrand plundered thousands of pieces of precious artwork with the intent to display them in Hitler's Führermuseum in Linz, Austria. However, after the defeat of the Germans, Hidelbrand left his invaluable art collection to his children. Until 2012, this art collection was nowhere to be found. Then, in Februrary of 2012, the art collection was found in the Munich flat of Cornelius Gurlitt. Authorities were led to his flat when customs officers flagged him for suspicious activity when crossing the border between Germany and Switzerland. After looking into him, they learned he was selling masterpieces lost in the war. Soon, authorities had repossessed all of Gurlitt's looted art and 1,280 precious works of art were no longer missing.
Simon Goodman's mission to reclaim his family's stolen art
Simon Goodman knew he had lost his parents in the Holocaust, but he did not know the full extent of his family until he went through his late father's belongings. There, he learned of his heritage. He was a descendant of a wealthy Jewish family that was split apart and decimated during the Holocaust. Furthermore, Goodman learned that his grandparents had been robbed of a precious art collection they had amassed over their lives. According to Goodman, the Nazis robbed the family of all of their collection including nearly 60 paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and silver; in total, nearly 1,000 pieces of invaluable art. To this day, Goodman has made it his mission to try and reclaim the art the Nazis stole from his grandparents so many decades ago.
Over the years, Goodman has reclaimed many works of art for his family. However, he has engaged in many legal battles in the mission to try and reclaim what rightfully belongs to his family. To date, Goodman continues to fight for his family's heritage, rights, and property.