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The case is as exciting as a thriller: in 2010, a man catches the eye of German customs officers crossing the border from Switzerland.
He was carrying cash, just under the permitted limit.
The man's name is Cornelius Gurlitt and he is 79 years old at the time.
The customs investigators decide to shadow him.
The following year, when Gurlitt put a valuable expressionist painting up for auction for almost a million euros, they obtained a search warrant for his apartment in Munich.
What the investigators discovered there at the beginning of 2012 far exceeded their expectations: a huge art collection consisting of well over 1000 paintings from all eras of exquisite quality.
To make matters worse, they came from the estate of Gurlitt's father Hildebrand, who had traded in art during the Nazi era.
Suspicions arose that the collection was "looted art" and it was confiscated.
The 52-minute documentary "The Strange Mr. Gurlitt" offers the most comprehensive analysis of the case to date.
Both calm and conciliatory, the film provides surprising answers based on investigative research.
The drama surrounding the Gurlitt collection is illuminated from a completely new perspective.
The film also reveals the true story of the father Hildebrand Gurlitt and comes to a surprisingly positive conclusion about the alleged "Nazi-looted art dealer".
Internal protocols prove that the entire case hangs by a thread of alleged tax sins that have not been proven to this day.
The research into the Gurlitt collection is only of a symbolic nature.
Those involved know that in most cases it is no longer possible to clarify who the previous owners of the paintings were.
"The Strange Mr. Gurlitt" is a story of ignorance and uncertainty in dealing with the past, the inability to come to terms with it and ultimately the impossibility of doing justice to everyone.
First broadcast: Wednesday, 19.03.2014 at 21:50 on arte
