The scandal in Bavaria: after the war, the government sold confiscated from Jewish art to the relatives of Nazis
ARTinvestment.RU   30 июня 2016

In addition to that carried out closed auctions of unclaimed rightful owners of the items, through which passed hundreds of works

25 Jun in the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung published an article "the Munich market of stolen art", able to turn upside down our preconceived notions about the course of restitution in Germany. Sensational investigation published by journalists Catherine Lorch (Catrin Lorch) and jörg Hantschel (Joerg Hantzschel), revealed that the government of Bavaria, which after the war was transferred to the artwork to return them to the victims of the Holocaust, in some cases, not only realized the return, but has sold or just given away these works not who-нибудь, and relatives of the Nazis, when-то them confiscated. For example, the former wife of Baldur von Schirach — of Reichsfuhrer and Gauleiter of Vienna.

the Authors refer to information and documents provided to them by the Commission of confiscated art in Europe The Commission for Looted Art in Europe — CLAE). CLAE is based in London and helps to Holocaust victims and their heirs wanted their assets. According to the CLAE, at the end of the war a special unit of the us army Monuments Men involved in the search for caches and collections of Nazi stolen works of art, handed over 10 thousand found their works to the Public art collection of Bavaria (Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung @BSGS mdas) to ensure that the new authorities returned to their rightful owners.

However, after the departure of the Monuments Men in BSGS were in no hurry to proceed with the restitution. And the people who headed the State art collection of Bavaria, were connected with the former Nazi government: the head of the BSGS Hanfstaengl Eberhard (Eberhard Hanfstaengl) was a cousin of Ernst Hanfstaengl — press-секретаря Hitler's relations with the foreign press. According to the documents, in 1949, Eberhard Hanfstaengl conveyed from the storage State art collection Bavaria 44 pieces of furniture, paintings and carpets "dear Mrs. Hoffmann." This Mrs. Hoffmann is none other than the daughter of Hitler's photographer Hans Hofmann and the former wife of Baldur von Schirach. Henrietta Hoffman assured the head of BSGS is that all of these items were purchased before she was married. And Hanfstingl, in turn, noted in its records that the transferred items "have no value". In subsequent years, Henrietta Hoffman was returned and other works, as part of bought. Many of these items returned by Henriette Hoffmann, come from the collection of the Jewish family, Kraus, forced to emigrate from Vienna to the USA and lost his collection and estate. Their attempts to return the collection after the war was futile. But relatives of the Nazis, by contrast, succeeded because the old connections and acquaintances, in spite of everything, remained in force.

for Example, about their rights, said Emmy Goering — widow of Hermann Goering. In the database of the Munich collector of works of art there is a category of items "requested by Emmy Goering." In her 34 items, including paintings by Guido Reni, Lucas Cranach and Pieter Brueghel. Eberhard Hanfstaengl personally helped Emmy Goering, next to one of the works in this list is a record of his hand: "this is a gift General-фельдмаршала Goering to his wife Emmy göring on Christmas day 1938, and its property". And such marginal notes are numerous. Whether the requested work is in fact transferred to Emmy Goering, we don't know. Approval CLAE, they were denied access to the archives BSGS (although in the management of the archive deny it).

according to the CLAE, the staff of the Government art collection, the Ministry of culture and the Munich division of the Ministry of Finance in the postwar period took the time to search the real owners of their existing items which was in the thousands. Instead, they identified unclaimed items as "not of Museum values" and spent their "disposal". In the late 1940-х the Ministry of Finance carried out closed auctions of such items. And "disposal" took Weinmüller auction house, Lempertz and Leo Spik (the same house that sold confiscated from Jews working with the Nazis). At these auctions these work bought including state institutions and museums. So, work from the collection of Goering was in "Petersberg" (holiday house for the German government), and a copy of works by Canaletto from the collection of Hitler were in the building of the parliamentary Association in Bonn.

Today, virtually impossible to track the items sold at those closed auctions. Unclaimed artworks were sold throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Researchers have discovered in the archive of the Munich Central Institute for art history (Zentralinstitut Münchner) that in the period from 1961 to 1998, had sold at least 500 to 600 works, which can be easily identified as confiscated by the Nazis from Jewish families.

the representatives of the Bavarian State art collection on June 28 issued an official response, which denied the charges against them and claim that they are "as transparent as possible," and their main goal — search for "just decisions" against the heirs of Holocaust victims in accordance with Washington regulations 1998.

Sources: lootedart.com, observer.com, theartnewspaper.com, artinvestment.ru



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