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Filipino textiles from the collection of

Myunghee & Peter Reimann

01 - detail of Itneg cotton blanket, Northern Luzon, early 20th century - 170 cm x 230 cm

Peter Reimann (1922-2014) was born in Berlin on November 5, 1922, and lived a long and rich life. Raised in Berlin, he served as a medic in World War II at age 17 and pursued a degree in medicine at Heidelberg University. After obtaining his degree and then studying as a postdoctoral fellow at the Sorbonne, he went in 1958 to work for the German Red Cross in Pusan, Republic of Korea with the rank of Lieutenant in the US Armed Forces.  While there he met his wife Dr. Myunghee Kim who herself became the first Freudian psychoanalyst from Korea, a pioneer in her field. The two immigrated to the United States and started a family, first living in Manhattan and then moving to New Jersey. After practicing in Irvington for several years, he moved to Springfield where he worked and lived until his death. Dr. Reimann had a private practice as a doctor in New Jersey for 30 years. He was an old fashioned doctor who made house calls with a black doctor's bag and was dedicated to serving all people in medical need. He also worked at Overlook Hospital and at the infirmary at Farleigh Dickenson University. He was an amateur musician, art historian, anthropologist and ethnographer, with a detailed knowledge of a wide range of global art and culture. He traveled all over the world, with his last trip at the age of 80 to Tibet. He was an avid player and listener of Classical Music. 

After Myunghee Kim Reimann died in a car accident in 1996 he never remarried.  He is succeeded by his daughters, Kim, a political scientist and professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia and Hannah, a musician, actress and music teacher in Greenwich Village, New York City.

Dr. Reimann became the subject of his daughter, Hannah's, first documentary feature film, My Father's House, a movie about Alzheimer's Disease, related dementia, family, caregiving and a quest to find effective treatments for these terrible illnesses.  Via footage of him shot over three years, he discusses, among other things, his anti-Nazi sentiment and activity during the War, his love of music and culture as we watch his brilliant mind succumb until his death on March 18th, 2014.