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:
- The Max Stern Estate cannot sell the painting for 10 years, allowing time for a possible primary victim to be identified.
- 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.
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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
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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."
