When valuable artworks plundered by the Nazi regime are discovered in public and private collections, strict procedures are implemented to investigate the origin (provenance) of the artwork and inform any descendants of the original owner of the work.

During the Nazi dictatorship between 1933 and 1945, it is estimated that at least 200,000 works of art were taken from their mostly Jewish owners in Germany. Jewish art collectors either left Germany or were deported to concentration camps.

A recent revelation has shown that the Bavarian State Painting Collections possess around 200 artworks that were looted by the Nazis, including works by Max Beckmann and Pablo Picasso. However, the Jewish owners of these artworks have not been informed.

The Bavarian authorities have appointed provenance experts to investigate the origins of works marked with a red dot, which symbolizes their theft during the Nazi regime. The true number of Nazi-looted works in the southern German state collections could be as high as 800.

German federal Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth, has expressed concern over the leak of this information, believing it to be a “scandal” if it represents a lack of transparency and potentially deliberate concealment.

The heirs of the Jewish art dealer Alfred Flechtheim have demanded the restitution of several works from the list of looted artworks, including some that were sold by the Nazi art dealer Hildebrand Gurlitt. The heirs argue that Bavaria should have informed the surviving relatives of victims, reported the works to public databases, and initiated restitution proceedings. However, the Bavarian authorities reject these allegations, stating that the leaked list was out-of-date and that ongoing provenance work is now available online.

Claudia Roth has called for a review by an advisory commission to enforce the Washington Principles and facilitate a faster resolution to restitution claims. In 2023, a chalk drawing by Adolph von Menzel was returned to the heirs of Leo Lewin, a Breslau entrepreneur and art collector.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/was-nazi-looted-art-concealed-from-jewish-heirs/a-71745982?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf