 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Gurlitt akaberekerwa mumhuri ine unyanzvi muDresden muna 1895. Baba vake Cornelius Gurlitt mukuru aiva mugadziri uye munyori wenhau dzakaitika, munununa wake Willibald nyanzvi yemimhanzi, hanzvadzi yake Cornelia mupendi uye hama yake Wolfgang aiva mutengesi wemifananidzo zvakare. Ambuya vake Elisabeth Gurlitt vakanga vari muJudha, izvo zvaizova zvinetso pasi pokutonga kweNazi: aionekwa semumwe wechina-muJudha pasi pemitemo yeNuremberg. Pashure pokupedza chikoro chake, akaratidza kufarira munhoroondo yeunyanzvi uye akanyoresa kuti adzidze nyaya iyi paDresden Technical School, uko baba vake vaiva Chancellor, zvisinei muna 1914 Hondo Yenyika I yakatanga uye vose Hildebrand nomukoma wake mukuru Wilibald vakazvipira kuti vabatane neuto reGermany rezuva racho. Hildebrand akashumira uye akakuvadzwa paSommeuye muChampagne, uye akazoshanda semukuru wezvemashoko ehondo muVilnius neKaunas muLithuania, kwaakagara kusvika muna 1919. Achidzokera kuGermany yakaputsika mushure mekubviswa, akaodzwa mwoyo nemativi ose ehondo uye zvematongerwe enyika uye akapika kubva panguva iyoyo zvichienda mberi kuzvipira kune unyanzvi chete sekutiza kubva mune zvematongerwe enyika, kuseka kusati kwakapukunyuka biographers akazotevera. 