A Swiss museum has agreed to accept a priceless collection of long-hidden art bequeathed to it by German collector Cornelius Gurlitt, but said it will work with German officials to ensure any pieces looted by the Nazis from Jewish owners are returned.Rico says it's amazing that, seventy years on, World War Two is not over...
In 2012, German authorities seized 1,280 pieces from Gurlitt’s apartment while investigating a tax case, including works by Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall. Gurlitt died in May of 2014, designating Switzerland’s Kunstmuseum Bern (photo) as his sole heir. The museum’s president, Christoph Schaeublin, told reporters in Berlin, Germany that the Kunstmuseum Bern had decided to accept the collection after long and difficult deliberations. “The ultimate aim was to clarify how the Kunstmuseum Bern could meet the responsibilities imposed upon them by the bequest,” Schaeublin said.
Shortly before he died, Gurlitt reached a deal with the German government to determine whether hundreds of the works were looted from Jewish owners by the Nazis. Authorities have said that deal is binding on any heirs, and Schaeublin said the museum would undertake extensive research to determine the provenance of the works.
According to an agreement the museum worked out with German authorities, a task force set up by the government will also continue to investigate the background of the art to determine if it was looted and, if so, who it was looted from. If no owner can be found for a looted piece, the agreement calls for the work to be exhibited in Germany with an explanation of its origins so the “rightful owners will have the opportunity to submit their claims”.
German officials said all works will remain in Germany until the task force finishes its work. An update on the research is expected “in 2015”.
One of Gurlitt’s cousins has also filed claim, which a court in Munich, Germany said would have to be sorted out before the collection goes anywhere.
24 November 2014
Nazis for the day
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