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Bezig met laden... The House of Getty (1985)door Russell Miller
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Getty family (Subject) I visited the Getty Villa at Malibu and the Getty Centre in LA . These extraordinary museums filled with treasures and art works to excite and thrill some 38 years after the death of the man who financed it all and whose posthumous trusts are his legacy, set me on a trail to find out about the man who was behind the Getty fortune and the Getty collection. This biography by a journalist , Russell Miller was published in 1985 and has dated somewhat, even though John Paul Getty died in 1972. He was clearly a complex man - a very sharp and clever oil man, a miserly billionaire, a scholar and knowledgeable in the arts, an absent and distant father to five sons and a remote husband. He lived the life he chose though his amoral approach to women and his lack of scruple in his business dealings made him a man whose friendship was sought by beautiful gold digging women. I found it strange that this man with exquisite taste in the arts but little thought to the context of looted treasures and the trade , could have assembled the impressive collection one sees in Malibu and yet he himself never returned to California to live among his treasures. Whether it was women or works of art or a business acquisition it seems that the pleasure was in the chase and the acquisition. The style of the book is slightly sensational and prurient . There are no footnotes and no source reference, so one is grateful for the family tree and the index. This author who does not know the difference between "disinterest" and "uninterested" and should go back to school. This books is not a serious business history but gives one a popular level framework around this rather unpleasant billionaire's life, lifestyle and complicated family. Was he ever truly loved ? I doubt it and it was his misfortune to be the son of his own parents.... and perhaps the psychological angle that here was a man who missed out on love and used all sorts of other activities and pursuits as a substitute. I need to find a better biography. It was J. Paul Getty III who once proclaimed: "Pity the rich. In terms of living, they are beggars." These words from the grandson of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty ring true in this engrossing biography. Granted, it's a bit heavy on Getty's bedroom escapades, and perhaps a bit too light on his boardroom pursuits. Still, journalist Miller effectively chronicles the toll that wealth can take on a family. One especially strong section involves the 1973 kidnapping of Getty's 16-year-old grandson. Miller skillfully takes us behind the crime scheme where the boy waited in terror as his family bargained with the kidnappers. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
The tormented saga of the Getty family reads like the script for Dynasty, interweaving boardroom battles, sex, money, drugs, power, crime, tragedy, and family intrigue. At the center stands the figure of John Paul Getty, the grandfather, an eccentric oil billionaire believed to have been the richest man in the world. Married and divorced five times, he had five sons, and yet was cheated of his dearest ambition-to found an oil dynasty. His angelic youngest son died at age twelve after years of illness. Of the remaining four sons, three proved to be hopeless businessmen and, one by one, dropped out of Getty Oil. Only one had the talent to take the helm of thefamily business, and he was groomed for the part. And then he killed himself. With his cherished hopes of a family dynasty crushed, John Paul built a magnificent museum as a monument for all time to his success. But money tainted even his philanthropy; the Getty Museum has become feared for its wealth and ability to pillage the art market. In the maneuvering that followed John Paul's death, Getty Oil was sold; Texaco acquired it for $9.9 billion, the biggest corporate takeover in history. Award-winning journalist and writer Russell Miller has broken the embargo of silence that has surrounded the Gettys to bring us the extraordinary and often disturbing story of a unique American family. From the pioneering days in the Oklahoma oil fields to the bitter struggles over Getty Oil, we follow the rise and fall of three generations-all apparently cursed with the Midas touch. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)332.092Social sciences Economics Finance Biography And History BiographyLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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