Question for provenance researchers: Who was Dr. Herbst?
Abels Brothers, Hermann | Cologne, Komoedienstrasse 26 | Dealers | Specialists in 16th to 19th century painting and graphic arts |
Bammann, Hans | Dusseldorf, Blumenstrasse 11 | Dealer, drafted into the army in 1942 and transferred to the ERR in Paris in December 1943 at the request of Lohse and Wuester | Believed to have acted as agent for art purchases in France for museums of Dusseldorf, Cologne, Aachen and Bonn |
Breker, Prof Arno | Starnberg (Buchhof uber Pocha), Bavaria | Celebrated Nazi sculptor, often in Paris during the war | Took part in arranging tour of French artists through Germany |
Goepel, Dr Erhard | Leipzig, Stieghtstrasse 76 | Official Linz agent and buyer in Holland under Posse and Voss | Bought extensively in Holland and also travelled frequently in Belgium and France |
Knothe, Dr | Secretary of the German Embassy, Paris and reported to have worked with Wuester on art matters for von Ribbentrop and possibly Goebbels | ||
Kuetgens, Dr Felix | Aachen, Heinrichsallee 18 | Member of Kunstschutz, Paris | Mentioned as also in charge of Kunstschutz in Serbia and Greece |
Loewenisch, Albert | Cologne Paris, 8 ave Victor Massel | Purchasing agent for the Gauleitung Dusseldorf-Koln-Aachen-Bonn, and one of the official representatives of German museums in France | Contact of Hermssen, Wuester, Weinmueller and Lange |
May, Frau Wismer | Zurich, Seefeldstrasse 90 | Colleague of Wuester in the art section of the German Embassy, Paris | Ardent Nazi and well connected in high Party circles |
Mohnen, Wilhelm Jacob | German national | Captured in Rome, 5 February 1945, after taking refuge in the Vatican | |
Muthmann, Dr | Director of Museum of Krefeld | In contact with Wuester, Paul Cailleux, Dr Kurt Martin and Dr Hopp | |
Pfannstiel, Arthur | Paris | German painter and dealer, resident in Paris before the war | Member of staff of ERR, Bordeaux and of GIS |
Rademacher, Dr Bernard | Bonn | Assistant at the Landesmuseum, Bonn | Agent for art purchases in France |
von Waldthausen | In charge of interior decoration of the German Embassy, Paris, 1940 | Assisted by Wuester, 1942 | |
Wuester, Adolf | Bernau, Bavaria Bonn Schloesel | Painter and amateur dealer, long-time pre-war resident of Paris | Chief agent in France for acquisition of works of art for Ribbentrop |
Blot | Paris | Dealer, dealt with Wuester | |
Cailleux, Paul | Paris, 136 rue du Fbg St Honore | Dealer in contact with Rochlitz, Wuester, Frau Dietrich, Haberstock | Knew Lohse, who claims to have freed his wife from a concentration camp |
Cloots, F G | Paris, 14 rue de l’Abbaye | Small dealer specialising in 17th century Dutch painting | In contact with Wuester and Hofer |
Gairac, Georges | Paris, 17 rue de Seine | French art dealer who sold to Wuester and Bornheim | |
Gerard, Raphael Louis Felix | Paris, 4 ave de Messine | Dealt in confiscated pictures; main source of supply to Wuester and other German buyers | Indicted by French Government (Seine Tribunal, Judge Frapier) |
de Haucke, Cesar Monge | Paris, 14 rue du Cherche-Midi | Dealer active in Paris and New York before the war | Active in Paris during the occupation; in contact with Wuester, Haberstock and Hofer; documentary evidence in Unit files |
Kalebjian, Irene | Paris, 52 bis ave d’Iena | Schenker documents indicate sales to German buyers | One of Wuester’s chief sources |
Leegenhoek, M O | Paris, 1 rue de Rennes/230 blvd Raspail | Belgian national | Prominent restorer and subsequent dealer who sold extensively to Hofer, Lohse, Wendland, Wuester, Dietrich, Haberstock, Miedl, Goepel and the great majority of important German purchasers |
Mandl, Victor | Paris, 9 rue du Boetie | German refugee dealer, formerly active in Berlin | Highly important figure in German art purchases in Paris |
Montag, Charles | Sevres Meudon Val Fleury, 72 rue de Paris | Swiss; naturalised French | Artist and dealer |
Renand, Georges | Paris, 30 quai de Bethune | Sold to Ribbentrop through Wuester | Schenker documents indicate sales to German buyers |
Schmit, Jean | Paris, 22 rue de Charonne | Important antique dealer and decorating concern | Dealt with Bornheim, Angerer, Haberstock and other Germans brought to him by Wuester |
Schoeller, Andre | Paris, 13 rue de Teheran | Well known expert in French 19th century painting | President of the Art Editors Syndicate and appraiser for the Hotel Drouot |
Toulinot (Toulino) | Paris, 8 ave Victor Massel | Small dealer | Partner of Loewenisch |
de Trevise, Duc | Paris | Pre-war sponsor and friend of Rochlitz and Wuester | |
Trotti, Count Rene Avogli | Paris, 1/88 rue de Grenelle | Well known art dealer of Italian birth; in touch with many German art agents during the war, particularly Wuester, an old friend | Also did business with Haberstock |
Wuester Adolf | See Germany | ||
Raeber, Dr Willi | Basle, St Albans Anlage 68 | Prominent art dealer | Vice president of the Swiss syndicate of art dealers and its most active member |
Wendland, Dr Hans | Versoix/Geneva | German national | Art dealer, resident alternately in France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany since World War I |
"Voss would now channel his purchase funds, which would surpass those spent by Posse, through his own trusted agents, principal among whom was Hildebrand Gurlitt..."
- The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn Nicholas
"Despite their disgust the OSS and MFAA men were human. Craig Smyth, who later had to supervise the house arrest of Hermann Voss, found it difficult to treat so eminent a scholar as a criminal and had him report daily to someone else. Monuments officer Charles Parkhurst, sent to question the widow of Hans Posse, whom he found living on the proceeds of sales of the pathetic contents of two suitcases of family bibelots, described her as a “gentle, elderly person” and broke off his interrogation when she began to weep. In the few answers she did provide it was clear that she was very proud of her husband’s accomplishments. She even showed Parkhurst photographs of Hitler at Posse’s state funeral, but of his actual transactions she clearly knew nothing."
- The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn Nicholas
"Plaut doubted that Bruno Lohse had really known the extent of Goering’s evildoing and noted that both he and Fräulein Limberger had become despondent when all was revealed. Rousseau and Faison too, after weeks of questioning Miss Limberger, were convinced that despite the fact that she had read the damning daily correspondence from Hofer to Goering, she bore no blame. When they had finished with her, Faison could not bring himself to leave her at the squalid internment camp to which she had been assigned and instead asked her where she would like to go. She named the Munich dealer Walter Bornheim, he of the suitcases full of francs, and a principal supplier to both Linz and Goering. Faison consented, and left her at the military post in Gräfelfing, where Bornheim lived."
- The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn Nicholas
available on Amazon
Altaussee Salt/Art Mine discovery after WW II Lieutenants Kern & Sieber, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
On April 23, 2001, I phoned Professor Faison and told him the National Archives was issuing the next day a press release announcing the release of Microfilm Publication M-1782, “OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit Reports, 1945-46.” I told him the microfilmed records—including the detailed, consolidated, and final reports—were being made available on May 8, the 56th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s discovery of the salt mine at Alt Aussee, Austria, where the greatest concentration of Nazi plunder from Western Europe was concealed. I asked him if he minded me making his phone number available if I received press inquiries about the records and the work of the ALIU. He said at his age it was tough enough to get up to change the television channel, much less answer the phone regarding things he had done ages ago and which were well-documented in the records we were making available. So, yes, he did mind.
- "An Office of Strategic Services Monuments Man: S. Lane Faison"
This is the seventh in an ongoing series of posts on real-life Monuments Men. Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher. See related posts on Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, Walter J. Huchthausen, Seymour J. Pomrenze, Mason Hammond, Edith Standen, and Karol Estreicher."Art dealer; personal friend of Hitler, and for a time his principal buyer of works of art. One of the most important purchasing agents for Linz. Was under house arrest at Grafing, Bavaria, autumn 1945."
Art historians, "Almas" in a provenance text means: dig deep.
The probability of Nazi looting is high.
Below, artworks from the DHM Linz database that contain "Almas" in the provenance.
There are many potential sources and lists.
In this post, we look an official Austrian report from 2008 that contains names of Austrian Jewish collectors whose art collections were plundered by the Nazis.
Mrs Kurt Riezler (née Käthe Liebermann, daughter of Max Liebermann) was previously mis-identified as Liezler
Why does it matter? Because her family was persecuted by the Nazis and she herself was a refugee.
EDOUARD MANET
Advisory Commission on the return of cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution, especially Jewish property
Office: German Lost Art Foundation, Humboldtstraße 12, 39112 Magdeburg, Germany
Recommendation of the Advisory Commission in the case of Rüdenberg Heirs vs. the City of Hanover
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
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
Advisory Commission
on the return of cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution, especially Jewish property
Office: Seydelstr. 18, 10117 Berlin
Recommendation of the Advisory Commission in the case of the heirs of Max Fischer v. the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg
Advisory Commission
on the return of cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution, especially Jewish property
Office: Seydelstr. 18, 10117 Berlin
Recommendation of the Advisory Commission in the case of the heirs of Heinrich Rieger v. The City of Cologne
"...the Grünbaum heirs contend that Mr. Kornfeld’s account is a fiction and that the documents are forgeries. They say it is suspicious that he did not identify Ms. Lukacs-Herzl as his supplier until nearly two decades after her death, and they contest the validity of the signatures on the records, pointing to places where Ms. Lukacs-Herzl’s name is misspelled or written in pencil...."
- William D. Cohan, Jewish Heirs Take on an Art Foundation That Rights Nazi Wrongs, NYT, Aug. 26, 2018
read more at: http://archive.is/mNym6#selection-825.517-825.541
Jewish Heirs Take on an Art Foundation That Rights Nazi Wrongs by By William D. Cohan, Aug. 26, 2018