Tikotin
Felix
Tikotin is known worldwide for his beautiful collection and his respectable
knowledge in Japanese art. He originally wanted to be an artist, but his mother
would not allow that, so he settled and became an architect. That did not last
long. He fell even more in love with Japanese art and could not stay away. He
was trading, buying, selling and collecting rare pieces of art. He knew the
brush strokes of one artist and the type of materials for another. It’s like he
was born to do it. We get to watch as his grandson discovers parts of his grandfather’s
life that no one has seen before.
In
this film, his grandson is trying to inform us of Japanese art, and the great
man Tikotin was, along with his struggles. He was a Jewish man and no one quite
understood why he was so intrigued in Japanese art. He didn’t speak the
language or live in the country. When he came out of hiding after the Second
World War, he was worried that his shop in Berlin would be destroyed. But because
of the sign on the front reading “Japanese Art” the people assumed he was
Japanese, and left it alone. His
store was everything to him.
Tikotin left Berlin to open his
museum in Israel. He later got banned from his own museum and the movie did not
tell why. He left Israel and moved on to the mountain and left his family in
Israel. He became the lonely old man on the mountain with all of his art. But
he created happiness for himself.
Tikotin was also a family man,
although he did not show it. His wife was in a manic, deep depression her whole
life and later ended her own life, leaving him with their 3 daughters. Soon
after their mother’s death, the third daughter also took her own life. Leaving
Tikotin and his two eldest daughters. After his tragedies, he didn’t know what
to do besides turn to art. His daughters began to become very jealous of the
art.
In
the film, they interviewed many different close friends and family members of
Tikotin. Everyone came from different countries, resulting in the whole movie
being in subtitles. With all of this, it made you realize how many contacts
Tikotin had. He was a very respectable man who knew many people. He used his
talents with Japanese art to interact with people all around the world.
The
film was based on the readings of letters that his grandson had found from his
grandfather to his colleagues or his grandfather to his daughters and wife. The
film was very personal and fulfilling. I never knew about Japanese art, let
alone Felix Tikotin. It was interesting to follow his life, along with hearing
the personal inputs of the people in his life. His grandson was able to convey
the importance and the personal level of Tikotin’s life and I really liked
watching that. He also made an effort to emphasize the Japanese art aspect.
Many art vendors and professionals were involved in the film.
Before
watching Tikotin I had no idea about Japanese art or Tikotin. I’m really
impressed with the way that they conveyed the message of his life and his love
for the art.
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