Showing posts with label Bavarian State Painting Collections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bavarian State Painting Collections. Show all posts

Jun 19, 2025

Questionable provenance research practices at Bavarian State Painting Collections

According to a June 17, 2025 article in  Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Bavarian State Painting Collections and the Ministry of Culture have been engaging in questionable provenance research practices concerning Nazi-looted art. Members of Parliament are asking questions and demanding answers (see  Süddeutsche Zeitung: Bayerns Umgang mit NS-Raubkunst: Taskforce „Nichtstun“ by Jörg Häntzschel) 

Questionable provenance research practices by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and the Ministry of Culture include:

Withholding findings and failing to inform heirs The museums kept most of their provenance research findings to themselves and did not inform the descendants of the Jewish collectors who had been robbed
Failure to publish works in the Lostart database Many works suspected of being looted art were not published in the Lostart database, despite the obligation to do so since 1998. While 598 works are now online, 222 of these were only added in the last four months, compared to 376 in the preceding 24 years.
Delay and obfuscation The Ministry and museums are accused of sticking to a course of delay and obfuscation regarding restitution.
Claiming that "claims where the claimants were known" were not entered into Lostart The State Painting Collections' spokesperson stated that works with known claimants were not entered into Lostart previously, as the database was intended for heir searches. This practice has since been changed for "maximum transparency," but it meant that works like Ernst Barlach's busts, whose heirs were known via Alfred Flechtheim's lawyer, were not listed.
Providing incorrect provenance histories online The provenance histories available online are not always accurate. For instance, it's suggested that Picasso's "Fernande" might have been purchased by the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, a crucial detail for the looted art question, yet documents indicate the museum never paid for it. This is considered a "trick to conceal Alfred Flechtheim's ownership".
Missing provenance information for some works For other works, such as Beckmann's "Portrait of Quappi in Blue," provenance histories are entirely missing from the Pinakotheken's online collection.
Using unusual classification standards The State Painting Collections reportedly used classification standards that are otherwise unusual.
Minimizing the forced nature of exchanges The State Painting Collections interpreted disparaging remarks by former Director General Ernst Buchner about "artistically indifferent" and "entirely dispensable" deposit pictures used in an exchange with the persecuted Jewish Lion brothers as mere "strategic formulations" related to his collection strategy, rather than evidence of the unfair value of the exchange or persecution-related confiscation.
Denying comprehensive access to files The Ministry explicitly denied comprehensive access to all files to the lawyer representing the Flechtheim heirs, stating it was "not necessary".
Lack of proactive communication with heirs The State Painting Collections never informed the Flechtheim heirs' lawyer about two Barlach busts, even though they knew he represented the heirs, and he only learned about them from Lostart.
Lack of transparency with owners regarding looted art suspicion Owners of works, such as the Friends of the Pinakothek der Moderne, were not informed for years that their paintings (e.g., Fernand Léger's "Le Typographe") were classified as suspected looted art, despite internal checks and classifications (yellow, then orange).

Minister deciding alone on restitutions Unlike most other federal states in Germany, the minister in Bavaria decides alone on restitutions, which raises questions about transparency and process.
----
(summary constructed in English with NotebookLLM)
from source:

 Süddeutsche Zeitung: Bayerns Umgang mit NS-Raubkunst: Taskforce „Nichtstun“ 17. Juni 2025

Bayerns Kunstminister Blume versprach nach dem Skandal um Raubkunst an den Staatsgemäldesammlungen eine „neue Ära der Wiedergutmachung“. Doch sein Ministerium und die Museen scheinen am Kurs des Verzögerns und Verschleierns festzuhalten.

Von Jörg Häntzschel

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/bayerische-staatsgemaeldesammlungen-ns-raubkunst-blume-verzoegern-li.3270455?reduced=true

see English translation at 

See also:

Facing accusations of hiding Nazi loot, Bavaria pledges more research and greater transparency, The Art Newspaper https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/02/26/facing-accusations-hiding-nazi-loot-bavaria-pledges-more-research-greater-transparency

NS-Raubkunst-Skandal in Bayern: Verheimlicht und verschleppt https://taz.de/NS-Raubkunst-Skandal-in-Bayern/!6070973/

Jüdische Erben: »Bayern hat uns betrogen« - Claims Conference spricht von »Vertrauensbruch« https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/kultur/juedische-erben-bayern-hat-uns-betrogen-claims-conference-spricht-von-vertrauensbruch/










Feb 24, 2025

Restitutions by the Bavarian State Painting Collections since 1998 (summarized in English)

Restitutions

Overview of the Restitutions by the Bavarian State Painting Collections

Since 1998, the Bavarian State Painting Collections have restituted 24 works from 15 collections. On this page, you can find more information about past restitutions.


March 13, 2024: Restitution of a Painting and Two Sculptures to the Heirs of Jakob Goldschmidt

The Bavarian State Painting Collections and the Bavarian National Museum have restituted a painting by Hans Wertinger (Count Palatine Philipp, Bishop of Freising, Inv. No. 12030) and two 16th-century Nuremberg sculptures(wood statuettes "Adam and Eve", Inv. No. 53/137 and 53/138) to the heirs of Jakob Goldschmidt (1882–1955), a Berlin banker and entrepreneur.

The painting was transferred to the Bavarian State Painting Collections in 1953 as part of former Nazi art holdings, and the sculptures were acquired by the Bavarian National Museum that same year through an exchange.

Jakob Goldschmidt, the Collector

Jakob Goldschmidt was one of the most influential bankers of the Weimar Republic and was considered a central figure in the financial world. He held a leading position on the board of the Danat Bank (Darmstädter and Nationalbank) and served on more than 100 supervisory boards.

Goldschmidt began collecting art during World War I and built a significant collection. He was also a patron of Berlin museums and the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. His villa in Potsdam's Neubabelsberg district, built in 1921, was adorned with numerous artworks, as was the villa he acquired in Berlin’s Matthäikirchstraße in 1929.

Following the Great Depression of 1931, when Danat Bank collapsed, the Nazis blamed him for the banking crisis. In April 1933, he fled to Switzerland and later to New York in 1936.

The Nazis imposed severe financial restrictions on him, including a Reich Flight Tax of over 1.8 million Reichsmarks, revoked his German citizenship in 1940, and confiscated his remaining assets in Germany in 1941.

Goldschmidt managed to smuggle part of his art collection abroad with the help of industrialist Fritz Thyssen. However, much of his collection remained in Germany, with major portions being auctioned off in 1936 and 1938.

Provenance of the Works

  • The Hans Wertinger painting was purchased in June 1936 by Julius Streicher, the Gauleiter of Franconia, at the Hugo Helbing auction house in Frankfurt.
  • Around 300 works from Goldschmidt’s collection were anonymously listed as coming from a "Berlin collector."
  • The two sculptures were also auctioned in 1936 but remained unsold. They were later offered again in March 1938 at Lempertz Auction House in Cologne.
  • The sculptures’ provenance traces them to Johannes Hinrichsen, an art dealer from Bad Aussee, who likely acquired them at Lempertz and later sold them to Swiss arms manufacturer Emil Bührle.
  • In 1953, the Bavarian National Museum acquired them from Bührle through a trade involving a 14th-century Pietà.

It is undeniable that Goldschmidt’s financial downfall was a direct result of Nazi persecution. The forced sales of his art collection would not have taken place without the Nazi regime, classifying them as persecution-related asset seizures.

As a result, the Bavarian Ministry of Science and Arts approved the restitution.


Statements on the Restitution

Markus Blume, Minister for Science and Arts:
"Provenance research results are clear: Jakob Goldschmidt was wrongfully persecuted by the Nazi regime and dispossessed of his wealth. Returning these works is not just a given—it is an ethical obligation. Restituting stolen cultural property restores justice and contributes to addressing Nazi crimes. I sincerely thank the Bavarian State Painting Collections and the Bavarian National Museum for their meticulous research that led to this restitution."

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Maaz, Director of the Bavarian State Painting Collections:
"Hans Wertinger was a masterful Renaissance portraitist. We are honored to return this exceptional artwork to Goldschmidt’s descendants, ensuring that this remarkable collection’s history is remembered."

Dr. Frank Matthias Kammel, Director of the Bavarian National Museum:
"Restituting the two statuettes from the workshop of Veit Stoß is an important moment for the museum."

Statement from the Goldschmidt heirs:
"The heirs of Jakob Goldschmidt are pleased with the restitution, which acknowledges that the loss of these artworks was the result of Nazi persecution and anti-Semitic propaganda."


Previous Restitutions

May 9, 2022: Restitution of "Ulanen auf dem Marsch" by Hans von Marées to the Max Stern Estate

  • Following a 2015 restitution request from the Max Stern Estate, the case was brought before the Advisory Commission for Nazi-Looted Art Restitution.
  • The commission recommended returning the painting under two conditions:
    1. The Max Stern Estate cannot sell the painting for 10 years, allowing time for a possible primary victim to be identified.
    2. If new evidence suggests that the sale was not Nazi-related, the foundation must return the painting to the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
  • The painting was restituted on May 9, 2022 under these conditions.

August 27, 2021: Restitution of "Frühlingslandschaft" by Johann Sperl to the Heirs of Sigmund Waldes

  • Research confirmed that Sigmund Waldes lost the painting due to Nazi persecution in 1939/41.

May 31, 2021: Restitution of "Fischerboote bei Frauenchiemsee" by Joseph Wopfner to the Heirs of Alfred Isay

  • Originally planned for March 2020, the restitution was delayed due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

April 23, 2021: Restitution of a Late Medieval Panel Depicting St. Florian

  • The art dealership A.S. Drey had owned the panel before the Nazis confiscated it.

August 5, 2019: Restitution of Nine Artworks to the Heirs of Julius and Semaya Franziska Davidsohn

  • The couple’s collection was confiscated in Munich in 1938.

July 25, 2018: Restitution of a Painting by Ernst Immanuel Müller

  • The work originally belonged to Ludwig Friedmann, a Nazi victim.

July 21, 2017: Restitution of "The Raising of Lazarus"

  • Formerly part of the James von Bleichröder collection.

May 15, 2013: Restitution of Two Max Pechstein Watercolors

  • Belonged to Curt Glaser and George Behrens.
    Streit um NS-Raubkunst: «Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf»
  •  and a Marian painting by Cristoforo de' Moretti.

June 23, 2008: Restitution of a Willem Kalf Still Life

  • Returned to Peter Block, grandson of collector Josef Block.

September 14, 2005: Restitution of "Musical Entertainment" by Fritz Schider

  • Originally owned by Max Meirowsky.

October 5, 2004: Restitution of "Twilight at Lake Garda" by Hans Thoma

  • Formerly in the Ottmar Strauss collection.

March 13, 2000: Restitution of "The Three Ages of Man" by Leopold Graf Kalckreuth

  • Returned to the heirs of Elisabeth Glanville.


****

Press


For more information about the current state of Nazi-era provenance research in the Bavarian State Paintings Collections see:

Nazi-looted art: Red alert



Dispute over Nazi-looted art: “The fish stinks from the head”



Jewish heirs: “Bavaria betrayed us” - Claims Conference speaks of “breach of trust”



Nazi-looted art scandal in Bavaria
Concealed and abducted

The Bavarian State Painting Collection in Munich is sitting on Nazi-looted art. To the detriment of heirs, it does not pass on its knowledge about the artworks.



Fierce criticism of Bavaria's handling of Nazi-looted art




***

"

The Glanville Case

In 1999 the Glanville family approached the Commission for assistance in locating a triptych looted from their home in Vienna when the family fled the Nazis in 1938. 

Marietta Glanville described the looted painting as "an icon of my childhood."  Her mother, Elizabeth Glanville, had searched for the looted von Kalckreuth painting since 1948.  In 1971 she learned that the painting was in the Bavarian State Paintings Collection, Munich which had acquired it from a private collector in 1942.  But, in the same year, her claim was denied by the Bavarian Compensation Office on the grounds that the deadlines for restitution had expired in 1948.  In 1983 Elizabeth Glanville died without having been able to recover her painting."




Mar 8, 2021

Dr. and Mrs. Max Stern Foundation v. Bavarian State Painting Collections - German Advisory Commission

Advisory Commission on the return of cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution, especially Jewish property

Recommendation of the Advisory Commission in the case of Dr. and Mrs. Max Stern Foundation v. Bavarian State Painting Collections

Heirs of A. B. ./. Bavarian State Painting Collections - German Advisory Commission

Advisory Commission on the return of cultural property seized as a result of National Socialist persecution, especially Jewish property

Office: Seydelstraße 18, 10117 Berlin

Recommendation of the Advisory Commission in the case of Heirs of A. B. ./. Bavarian State Painting Collections