Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)

Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse’s role in post-war America. Lohse established relationships with curators at some of the nation’s most important cultural institutions and became an invisible hand, dealing in looted art – even as the families of the original owners pursued the restitution of works rightfully theirs.

The explosion of new museums in post-war America increased the demand for art –while, at the same time, those looking to shrink their taxable income were being given tax breaks for charitable donations. These two factors created a “very murky” market, explains restitution attorney Raymond Dowd, as “museums became filled with toxic assets. Almost no one had a motivation to look into provenance.”

Fritz Goodman’s silver collection was highly sought by Hermann Göring during the Nazi looting of Europe. As his grandson Simon Goodman explains, Gutmann was promised safe passage to Italy if he would sign over the silver. Instead, in a move of pure deception, he and his wife were sent to Berlin for interrogation by Göring’s agents—including Bruno Lohse—and ultimately to Terezin concentration camp.