What A Boy With Pipe tells us?

Apr 9
13:30

2013

jerryailily

jerryailily

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On November 20, 2004, a half year after the selling of A Boy With Pipe, the death of a German businessman Steve Georg made people really know the owner of this painting and a half-century beautiful love story behind the painting. Steve Georg was the mysterious buyer bidding billion dollars. He was not mad, but crazy for love.

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On November 20,What A Boy With Pipe tells us? Articles 2004, a half year after the selling of A Boy With Pipe, the death of a German businessman Steve Georg made people really know the owner of this painting and a half-century beautiful love story behind the painting. Steve Georg was the mysterious buyer bidding billion dollars. He was not mad, but crazy for love.

 

The father of Steve Georg and father of Betty Whitney were close friends. Steve was the German Jews, but Betty was an American. When they were young, they both lived in Sigafude Street of Berlin and grew up together. In 1905, Picasso completed his work A Boy With Pipe. Being changed for many times, this painting was collected by the father of Steve Georg. Steve Georg took after the little Louis in the painting. Betty liked this painting very much. These two children gradually liked a game. Whenever Betty wanted something, she would write a note behind the painting A Boy With pipe, Steve saw it and would always try to meet her expectations. Once, in order to satisfy Betty’s wish of going to Vienna to enjoy the concert, 13-year-old Steve would sneakingly take the train for a dozen hours to Vienna with Betty. When they got off the train, Steve was sent back to Berlin and severely punished by his father.

 

In 1935, with the outbreak of the war, countless families became destitute and homeless and this couple was also broke up. Betty and her family peacefully returned to America, but Steve’s family struggled in exile. After the war, Betty immediately returned from the United States to Germany aiming to look for her sweetheart. But after several twists and turns finally she got the news, the Steve’s family, with the exception of a few people fled to Africa, other people had died in the war. Betty was heartbroken, soon she left Germany. In 1949, Betty married to one of the American ambassador to Britain. In the second year she followed her husband to London. At Sotheby's auction, Betty surprisingly thrilled to see A Boy With Pipe which was captured from Germany. Because it was able to be figured out who was the original owner, thus it was taken on auction. And its auctioned money was handed over to the World Jewish Foundation. The starting price of A Boy With Pipe was $10,000 dollars, and Betty finally got this painting which she was familiar in childhood with $28,000 dollars. When her trembling fingers gently stroking the painting, her eyes blurred with tears as the happy childhood memory surfaced again and seemed to be so real.

 

After years of chaos of war, A Boy With Pipe was fortunately intact. And Steve also like this painting, in Betty's heart, was always handsome before breaking up. Steve was as very lucky as this painting. He not only escaped from the war, but also met Betty again after 28-year parting. After so many sufferings, to see this painting together was what Steve and Betty had been longing for. They had never expected this day could be coming. After the surprise, all kinds of feelings welled up in their hearts. Betty intended to return this painting which originally belonged to him to Steve, but Steve did not accept and he hoped it would be continually saved by her. At that time, Steve was still single and became the best friend of Betty and her husband. 50 years later, Steve finally got married and had children. In 2001, Betty died. Before her death, she said again to return this painting to Steve, but Steve still did not accept. Then Betty left last words that if Steve still refused to accept this painting, then her children would auction this painting. The auctioned money could be divided into 3 portions, her children, World Childhood Foundation and charity organization named by Steve Georg. At the end of 2003, a year and a half later of Betty’s death, according to her will, A Boy With Pipe was auctioned and Steve mysteriously got it. This painting accompanied him until he died. It was said that Steve had been seeing the boy in the painting before dying and he surely saw himself and Betty during their childhood.