Shadow of Nazi fortune hangs over art display

[emad]

Peter Bild in Berlin, Maev Kennedy and agencies
Wednesday September 22, 2004
The Guardian

Snip


An installation by Bruce Naumann at the Flick collection art exhibition. Photo: AP / Jan Bauer

A spectacular exhibition of contemporary art, which opened in Berlin yesterday amid Jewish protests, drew accusations that its billionaire owner was exploiting art to redeem his family's Nazi past.Christian Friedrich Flick, who inherited part of his grandfather's fortune, originally built on wartime slave labour in explosives factories, told journalists yesterday: "I neither want to whitewash the family name, nor can art or the collecting of art compensate for my grandfather's war crimes - but please at least view these works of art separate from politics or my family's history."

Jewish protesters say the vast collection is founded on "blood money".

The quality of the art is not in question: the opening exhibition at the Hamburger Bahnhof, a converted railway station seen as a key to regenerating a still rundown corner of the city, is only a fraction of the collection which will fill the gallery for the next seven years.

The bitter criticism of the Flick collection has spread to the city leaders and the German government - chancellor Gerhard Schröder formally opened the exhibition last night - for accepting Mr Flick's offer to create the gallery, paying the costs of the building and lending his collection.

Yesterday Mr Flick, who mainly lives in Switzerland, said wryly that the exhibition fitted Berlin like a hand in a glove - "or like a fist in the eye".
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1309986,00.html

[the Kelly Gang]

1. Flicks, partners of the Thyseens, partners of Prescott Bush

[northzax]

5. and Baron Thysen left a remarkable art collection as well

must we visit the sins of the fathers onto the sons? Sure, the fortune was ill-got, but most industrial fortunes are ill-got, if you go back far enough. Any art stolen should be returned, no questions, but how do we return money that may be mingled with money that was made legitimately? there is no way, at some point, we must just declare a zero-hour and move forward.

[PATRICK]

2. Is this going where I think it is?

Any amateur googling of Flick and Bush gets that wonderful friendship between this fine gentleman and Prescott Bush, not only concerning death camps but hot lead that later would slaughter our own soldiers. Today it is the Saudis. Maybe the way to get at the roots of terrorism is to eliminate all the evil doing rich toads that the Bushes feed on.

[Kagemusha]

3. If the art itself wasn't stolen from Jews what's the problem?

Is this man not part of the human race?...

[northzax]

4. no, the problem, see

is that this man's grandfather was a slaver and an asshole, see? so this man also must be, since he inherited money from that man, see?

[Kellanved]

6. Flick has refused to pay into the slave-labor compensation fund

This is really the main issue in the debate. How he got the money isn't the main problem, not taking the responsibility that comes with the money is.

[SoCalDem]

7. Most "money" is blood money..(someone else's blood)

That suburban home that most of us live in was once "owned" by Native Americans who probably have descendants who are living amongst us..

The flaw in their claim to "ownership" is the same one of many African-Americans...the paper trail..or the LACK of a paper trail..

The super-rich, did not suddenly appear. They got that way over YEARS and YEARS of inherited/married-into/conned-out-of maneuvers. Each succeeding generation claims more legitimacy as the fortunes amass.. The younger ones can easily say "My hands are clean", as they go to the best of schools with sometimes lackluster grades,get boosted up the corporate ladder by Daddy's pals, live in the greatest leisure because of WHO they are, not what THEY did.

Our government is awash with this very type of person, so is it any wonder that we have the laws to protect wealth?? Ask any Native American just how eager our government has been to see to it that they get the justice they have sought for hundreds of years.. or Ask any African American if their family has seen much personal benefit of the hard work of their ancestors..

The only "class" that has ever really benefitted from ancestral "efforts" is the UPPER CLASS..(of ANY society)..