Page 11 - Lieber Collection Chinese Art

A DOLLAR

WELL SPENT

̭㒻ٰ⮱ئթ

By Gerson Leiber

A small antique Chinese vase, with a chip on the lip and decorated ౕጰ䖁Җ᫜㒻䏺份㉛ౝ䭱䓾喑̭Ըऑ㦐Ꮔ‒⿄㸎
with images of a mythical beast, in the window of a shop near the pen-
ᆂ⹧⮱̭У㎗ᰶ⦋⢥㈸⮱͚స㉍㗻叾ᒖᄼ⨣,॥
sion where American soldiers were quartered in Budapest, prompted
the purchase for a dollar by a young couple, (the dollar was king dur- ᑂγ̭ᄺᎡ䑂⮱๘ྒྷ喑ЃԾ㟞γ̭㒻ٰ䇤̸γ䕆
ing the infl ation of the Pengö). He, an American s oldier, his wife, a Ըᄼ⨣喍ౕ࠵➆ݖ䓕᜵௡䛺䕇䇕㛕㙦⮱ᎡА,̭
maker of handbags, soon to be traveling to the U.S. for discharge and 㒻ٰज᭜๔᝸び喎ȡЃ喑⪣᭯᭜̭ऺ㒻䏺ธڢ,㔹
return to civilian life. They would travel in a special train arranged by
຦喑ݴ᭜̭ऺ᝸࠲ጒ㬊ፘ喑ౕ̺Ͳ⮱ᄴҳ喑ږϧ
the U.S. Army from Budapest to Bremerhaven, the Port of Embarka-
tion in Germany, where a “Bride” ship would take them and other ᄴ䯕㦄㒻䏺䔭к䔁䘶ఋݝ㒻స喑ఋ₥Ꭰℾ⩌≨ȡ
American G.I.s with their wives to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the ЃԾᄴ΅౽⩞㒻䏺Ⴖᢿ⮱ᄵ݄▘䏷ᓋጰ䖁Җ᫜
U.S. The U.S.S. Thomas Berry awaited the couple.
ݝᓤస̺ҳᶲ⍜喑ᓋ䗐㸎⮨̷USS Thomas Berry
The vase and a small green tool box containing Judy’s tools would 㮌䕸䑥㞓喑㾟䕸䑥㞓Ό㷘⽞҉Ȫ᫝ཅȫ㞓,䕆㞅㝦
loom large in their future lives. These objects would signal their total
ᄴ፣㦄䕆ψ㒻䏺ธڢВࣷЃԾ⮱໨ၽԾఋݝ㒻
immersion in the tsunami of change that was engulfi ng the post-war
world. సጰ傜ٸ᳄⊤䏺ധౝȡ
䕆У͚స䮣⨤ᄼ⨣Вࣷ㸊ᰶJudy㽚㼵ጒڤ⮱㋍
㞟ᄼጒڤマ喑ᄴᄺږϧ⮱᱗ҳ⩏⩌⌞䖍⮱ᒞ䴬ȡ
ႰԾ὆㾹㦄ږϧࢠᄴₒڒݝι᝝ᒹ㒻స᝭㋀₤
⮱㔨๖㺳ౝ⮱䂷ࡃ⟯⒛͸͚ȡ
OPPOSITE
Gerson and Judith Leiber, 1994
Photograph © Sandra Geroux. Courtesy of
the Leiber Collection
ᄺ䴮
Gerson ࣷ Judith Leiber, 1994Ꭱ
⚔❴ҳ⎽: Sandra Geroux
Leiber ᩣ㫼

INSPIRED: CHINESE ART FROM THE COLLECTION OF GERSON AND JUDITH LEIBER 9