NEW ROCHELLE, NY –In conjunction with the New Rochelle Arts fest, the New Rochelle Public Library will host Hitler’s Art Thief, an illustrated presentation by Susan Ronald, on Saturday, September 26 at 4:00 pm, in the Ossie Davis Theater. A reception and book-signing will follow the free presentation.
When the New York Times picked up the story of Cornelius Gurlitt in November 2012, it was already ‘old news’ to author Susan Ronald, who’d had a first brush with the name Gurlitt in the late 1990s. Hitler’s Art Thief – Hildebrand Gurlitt, the Nazis and the Looting of Europe’s Treasures is the result of Ms. Ronald’s painstaking original research into how Hildebrand Gurlitt became Hitler’s Art Thief, and the unbelievable legacy left in the hands of his son Cornelius. The author will discuss how she traced the activities of three generations of Gurlitts. She will reveal how she unearthed answers to the many questions raised by the international press in uncovering the single greatest treasure trove of Nazi looted art discovered in private hands since the war. Copies of Hitler’s Art Thief, to be published by St. Martin’s Press in September 2015, will be available for purchase and signing by Ms. Ronald.
Born and raised in the United States, and a graduate of New Rochelle High School, Susan Ronald has lived in England for more than twenty-five years. She has consulted for five British government departments and The National Trust, and in addition to Hitler’s Art Thief, she is the author of Heretic Queen: Queen Elizabeth I and the Wars of Religion, Shakespeare’s Daughter (a novel), The Pirate Queen, The Sancy Blood Diamond, and France: Crossroads of Europe. She also owns a film production company and is a screenwriter and film producer.