A Love Story of the Century (this is a fiction, YX)
On May 5, 2004, at the Sotheby’s auction in London, one of the most beautiful Pablo Picasso’s Rose Period representations – the "Boy with a Pipe" finalized deal with a sky high sale price of $104 million, shattering the world great painting sales record in the auctioned painting history. World art collectors as well as media were all astonished by this anonymous and mysterious buyer. The proceeds of the sale went to the Greentree Foundation — created in 1982 by Betsey Whitney following the death of her husband. Until 2004 real estate tycoon Steven Georg's death, this mystical collector finally emerged to the surface, and people discovered surprisingly a very sad and chilly, but also legendary and compassionate love story behind this great painting .......
"Boy with a Pipe" in love with a little neighbor girl
Pablo Picasso left innumerable outstanding paintings. The "Boy with a Pipe" is one of the most beautiful of the artist’s Rose Period paintings and one of the most important his early works ever to appear on the market. This work has the critic reputation of reaching the mysticalness of Leonardo da Vinci’s 1505 " Mona Lisa ", and resembling the melancholy of Vincent van Gogh’s 1890 “Portrait of Doctor Gachet.” With Picasso’s painting popularity rising, this painting had passed several hands in Paris and finally was collected by German Jewish multimillionaire Georg family.
The Georg family started with small ceramic ware, clock and watch businesses and gradually building up. At the beginning of the 19th century, their business had involved in finance, stock and shipping industries. They also owned the massive fertile lands on the Rhine River banks. Young Steve Georg was the fourth generation of the Georg family and was also the family sole descent. He showed excellent talent since childhood and received his father's careful planned cultivation and education.
Mr. Georg had a close friend: Mr. Hoffman who was an American porcelain ware trader. The two families had been friends for several generations. Their residences were next to each other on the Cypress Street in Berlin. Mr. Hoffman's daughter Betsey was one year younger than Steven, and they were childhood friends growing up together.
Steven had treated the beautiful and timid neighboring American girl as his sister to a regard. Since sensible, Betsey had always thought her elder brother Steven were the model for the "Boy with a Pipe" painting, because regardless of facial expressions or manner makings, the boy in painting and Steven were just resembling too likely. Until Betsey was 12 year old, she disappointedly heard from her father that the youth in the painting and Steven had no any relations at all. Whenever Betsey had a request but difficult or shy to express, she would always leave the elder brother a small written note pasted behind the "Boy with a Pipe" painting. Steven’s biggest happiness was to “inspect” the back side of the painting to see if young Betsey have any special request. Once, to satisfy Betsey’s going to Vienna for a concert desire, 13 year-old Steven led Betsey on a train for more than ten hour ride to Vienna without telling others. Finally, two children were “captured” at the Vienna train station and escorted back by family servants sent by Mr. Georg, and Steven received father's severe penalty.
The first drawing sketch of Betsey made was Steven holding his father’s tobacco pipe standing in front of this painting. She gave Steven her sketch as the Christmas present when shen was 18 years old. Steven kissed his admired girl for the first time upon receiving the gift.
In the beginning of 1935, dark cloud of war covered the Germany. Mr. Georg shipped massive family's artistic collections with other property to Switzerland. He exhorted Hoffman family to go back to the US for seeking safety. But because Steven’s mother was not willing to leave the native land, they missed fleeing Germany opportunity.
By January, 1937, the battlefield in European had begun. Large numbers of Jews in Berlin were sent to concentration camps. Mr. Georg, realizing the seriousness of the situation, decided to buy British passports with gold, for family to escape Germany with the British alien status. But, the deal was betrayed in the last minute by someone. Only the young Steven with Mr. Hoffman's help finally got a refugee's status as a British family adopted son.
Steven and Betsey planned to take a same train to get out of Germany. At boarding time they only discovered that the Steven’s name had been changed unexpectedly to the next train’s manifest. No matter how Mr. Hoffman negotiated with military, Steven was not allowed to board the same train with Betsey. Mr. Hoffman decided to wait Steven at the London train station.
Young lover pairs shed much tear in the station. Betsey sobs endlessly. Though Steven’s heart was torn to pieces, he comforted firmly the younger sister. As the train gradually move out of the station, Steven hold the right hand on the chest, expressing to Betsey, regardless what happening, his heart would forever with her in the same place.
The second train did not leave Berlin.
Ambassador's Wife Moistened the Legendary Great Painting with Tear
Returned to the US, Hoffman family concerned the friend family’s destiny for the war duration. Postwar, Mr. Hoffman and daughter rushed back to Germany immediately, started difficult long journey seeking Georg family. They went over almost all German Jews concentration camps. Finally they learned from The German government's generalissimo archives, except a few members escaped to Africa, the Georg family did not escape the evil clutches.
Betsey leave Germany with a stave heart, and she pledged that forever not to step onto this used to be native land. In order to forget the pain in her mind, she married an outstanding youth from Boston - John Hay Whitney in 1949, who was 6 years older than her.
In 1950, Betsey followed the newly married husband, arrived at London as a Britain ambassador's wife's status. Returning to Europe, Betsey filled with emotion, she was unable to forget the scene at the London train station waiting for Steven’s arrival for several days and nights without eating or drink. But at the present, she and her first love sweetheart were already in great distance between heaven and earth. Fully understanding his sad feeling, John Whitney told her a news that the Sotheby’s auction house was to hold an auction in a few days. Many Jews to raise funds for postwar reconstruction and business start over, were selling family inherited art holdings in the auction. The Georg family was the German most renowned multimillionaire, their artistic holdings were really abundant, perhaps Betsey could bump into some Georg family members there. Perhaps she might to know some Steven’s final situations at the concentration camp, or retrieving a few Steven’s relic.
Hearing the news, Betsey arrived auction immediately. But she did not hear any Steven’s news. When Betsey prepared to leave, she astonishingly heard a name of painting: Picasso’s "Boy with a Pipe”, the seller was unknown. It was the spoils of war seized from Germany by the allied forces. Starting bit price was $10 thousands. The proceeding would go to the “World Jews Foundation.”
Betsey immediately felt shock, tears filled her eyes. Although that painting had experienced wound from the war, actual figure were still intact as before. In the painting, the boy was still so melancholy, so elegant as before; The corolla was still bright as before; The background bouquet of flowers was still fragrant as before; The childhood memory was still clear as before. Only she was living alone, but where was another youth?
Without any hesitation, Betsey raised her buying sign. After a few rounds, the price mentioned was $28 thousands. The price already arrived at the record price in the world great painting auction at that time, and nobody responded with a higher price. After the third inquiry from auctioneer, the painting fell in Betsey's hand.
Betsey held the painting going home. All the way, her tear had not stopped. She felt this painting's bitter experience was precisely the miniature which Steven family encountered. What she held was not simply the painting, it was like holding the youth's heart precisely.
Hereafter, this painting had been kept carefully in the Whitney family's private studio. Five years later, Mr. Whitney finished his ambassador tenure, and returned to Boston. This painting returned with John Hay and Betsey Whitney to the US.
Within the next ten years, Betsey's three children were born one after another. She had become a joyful mother. She enlivened in the American upper society, used herself and her husband family's prestige and reputation affecting more Americans to care about Jew's destiny and their postwar reconstruction enterprises. Betsey had been acting as advisor of “Exile American Jew Committee.”
Betsey's life became enriched and joyful. The shadow of war was slowly bit by bit dissipating from her heart. Although she still might have dream of her young childhood lover Steven, as a mother of three, Betsey was more hope that Steven could be happy and joy in the heaven.
One day in October 1965, pruning flowers in the garden, Betsey saw the servant lead a visitor to her. All of a sudden, Betsey was deeply attracted by his melancholy makings and the profound brown eye. The visitor dressed in elegant black suit, moved steady and gracefully. Betsey closed her eyes, searching her memories vigorously for the visitor’s identity whom she seemed had known well before. His eye shined the deep sea like affection looking at Betsey, then he slowly took off his hat, bowed slightly, and said in a soft voice to Betsey: “wie geht es Ihnen? Mein junger Betsey.“ (“How are you? My young Betsey.” In German)
Heard his German, Betsey's face became bloodless, trimmed flowers in her her hands fell to the ground. Although that voice was not the youth voice which she was so familiar with, but the way he called her, belongs to only one person! Only Steven would call her like that, this way of calling had been a secret between them.
He was still alive! Betsey felt the train, which did not left Berlin station 28 years ago, started to move today.
The Mystical Will Testimony the Cross-Century Legend
He is Steven Georg, the youth who should have dead originally in the Nazi's concentration camp. He witnessed his father’s death in Nazi's gas chamber; He witnessed his mother’s death under Nazi's machine gun. At final moment, he was rescued from dead people pile by American soldiers. He was critically ill and had pulmonary tuberculosis. He was dispatched to a hospital in Poland for treatment. He fought with tenacious will from death. One year later He recovered and returned to Germany.
Steven used two more years negotiating with German government, attempted to rescue family’s properties lost in the war. At the same time, he finished studies independently for both Economics and Law, fulfilling his parents' wish.
In 1955, he saw a picture on Times newspaper “the US to British Ambassador and his wife attended memorial service for Albert Einstein” while travelling on a business trip to London. He immediately felt keenly Ambassador's wife was his young Betsey. He arrived at the US Embassy, asked to meet with the Ambassador and his wife, but encountered guard rejection. Steven did not give up. He relayed a message through some friends in London requesting to meet the Ambassador the next day. Unfortunately, the second day his German business had an urgent matter and he had to return to Berlin in a hurry to take care.
Two months later, Steven came back to London again looking for his American young sister. When he finally met with Ambassador, he was disappointed to learn the ambassador couple he was looking for had finished the tenure and returned to the US one month ago. He also learned from the Ambassador that Betsey had become a young mother, her husband was a very outstanding gentleman. Steven’s heart felt both happiness and disappointment. After their separation for 18 years, he knew himself would never be able to heal the wound from the war. But perhaps it would be better for Betsey if she could forget that phase of painful history.
Steven decided to endure all suffering by himself. He did not go to the US to look for Betsey again. He placed all his energy into his family enterprise prospority. He transferred his father’s property from Switzerland back. He simultaneously started looking for development opportunities in finance and architecture industries. In order to comfort his parents soul in heaven, he started to unit others who had the same bitter experiences in later 1950's. He negotiated with the German government requesting government's war compensations. The road of lawsuit and recovery was very long and rough. At a time he was nearly despaired, he heard from friends there had been a past US to British Ambassador couple – the Whitney family devoting large efforts helping the exile Jews in the US to reorganize and reconstruct their enterprises. More surprisingly, he also heard from these friends that Mrs. Betsey Whitney once collected a Picasso's great painting – the "Boy with a Pipe".
Conceivably what a shock Steven felt when heard the news! He absolutely had never thought that painting condensed all his precious first love memory was collected unexpectedly by his firt lover Betsey. It explained that not only him, their youth memory had also been collected in Betsey's heart. He could not bear any more. The second day, he applied for a visa to go to the US.
When he started approaching Betsey in the Garden, his heart nearly jump out his chest. Steven felt the path from the living room to the gardenwere so long, and was so difficult, it took him nearly 28 year to walk it through ......
After the tears moistened their faces and cloths, Betsey led Steven’s into the family studio. He looked up, the painting was there. He stood in front of the painting for a very long time, the tear just could not stop. Finally, he acted just as the “routine”, walking toward the painting, attempted to check the back side of the painting to see whether the girl had left any note for him. They both broke into smile for that action finally.
When he saw Mr. Whitney, although they met for the first time, they felt like a reunion of old friends. They hesitated only for a second, then tightly hugged each other. Mr. Whitney’s first few words to Steven were: “That is an ignominious war, is a shame for humanity.”
Steven accusative first few words to Mr. Whitney were: “I have sincerely wished that Betsey life is a happy one, that you have already achieved. Perhaps I did not have the qualifications to speak these words, but I am very wanting to say to you - thank you.”
Mr. and Mrs. Whitney attempted to keep Steven staying at their home for several days, but Steven decided to return to Berlin. Before leaving, Betsey insisted to give back Steven that painting. Steven said like this: “you have two reasons to keep this painting: One, you have preserved this painting for my parents, to avoid it falling into others hand, their soul in heaven certainly is gratified; Two, it has too many memories for me regarding this painting, it is in your hand, meant you had not forgotten me, this is at least the reason and the courage that I go on my living.”
Betsey accepted the Steven request – she will forever retain the painting. Steven returned to Berlin, continued his family enterprise. Until he was 50 year-old, Steven married Austrian girl Adegia. They had four children.
Thereafter, Mr. and Mrs. Whitney spared no effort to appeal to the American media to pay attentions to postwar Jewish victim compensation. In 1970's, media firms like Washington Post, the New York Times, and Time Magazine all reported in abundance the news and activities. It laid the support foundation for Steven to gain the final victory. Soon, the German started to construct the large dam alone Rhine River banks. The German government negotiated with Steven on volume purchasing his land. Several dozens of years into the postwar, Steven turned the family property value over multiple times. In the middle of the 1980’s, Steven entrusted the family enterprise into a fundation, and started to live in seclusion in the family old castle.
Mr. Whitney died in 1982. Forteen years later, Betsey's health seriously worsened. She sent a telegram to Steven one more time, hoped he would be able to take back his family painting in her life time. Steven arrived at the US to visit Betsey personally, and convinced her to dispel this idea. After Steven's visit, Betsey left behind the will: If after she died, Mr. Steven Georg refuses to accept this painting as before, then her son may have this painting auctioned. Among the auction proceedings, one third will be left for her children, another one third will be donated to the World Children with Disabilities Foundation, the last one third will be donated to a philanthropic institution which will accept Mr. Steven Georg as the name of the institution.
Five and half year after Betsey died, near the end of 2003, her posterity decided to auction this painting. The news brought intense interests of the world media and art collection communities. In April, 2004, "Boy with a Pipe" was sold for $104 million at London Sotheby’s auction, broke the great painting auction record high of $ 78 million set by Vincent van Gogh’s 1890 “Portrait of Doctor Gachet” 14 years ago. But the collector won the bid was anonymous and mystical and it became an interesting object of common mystery of the world.
The secret collector had been totally silent for some time. Until November 2004 when Steven died, his posterity presented his will with the Steven’s genuine hand writing signed letter to the posterity of Betsey, the truth then finally became known: that mystical buyer is precisely Steven Georg. It was said that this painting had accompanied him through the end of his life. He was staring at this painting, moved past the last moment of his life, the terminus ......
