Culture Minister Bernd Neumann, Germany (Bernd Neumann) said that the authorities do not agree with the arguments of those who believes that restitution is time to stop. According to him, Germany will continue to return to the heirs of Holocaust victims works of art and other valuable items, once stolen by the Nazis.

Neumann made this statement in connection with the publication in the magazine Der Spiegel interview c Sir Norman Rosenthal (Sir Norman Rosenthal), former chief curator of the London Royal Academy of Arts . Rosenthal said that the heirs should not demand from museums of art, which were selected by the Nazis from their relatives. According to him, atone to the victims of the Holocaust in this way do not get - the crimes committed by Hitler's henchmen, so great that "historical justice", which proponents of restitution, not ever recover. Rosenthal, who himself is a German of Jewish origin, who tied a sharp increase in the number of restorative dispute with booming art market, arguing that the rise in prices on the art of awakening to the greed of some people. Particularly sharply, he spoke about those who have little or no relationship to the Holocaust does not, but trying to make on another's grief a lot of money - those people he likened to vultures. Rosenthal, indignant that the restitution demand is mainly not the victims of Nazism, and their descendants and distant relatives, as well as lawyers, who often pick up half the cost of the work itself.

Rosenthal is a very negative attitude towards Restitution of recognized masterpieces. In his view, the outstanding works of art must be "visible", not the seven locks in an armored vault of a billionaire. Good collectors, he believes those who do not hide their treasures from the "mere mortals". Rosenthal insists that art should belong to everyone, not just those who are willing to pay him big money. He also cited the "trophy art" taken out of Germany's Red Army - in his words, it should remain in Russia.

Recall that Rosenthal had already said about the need to eliminate the restitution - in December, he gave an interview to The Art Newspaper, which has expressed its opinion on the matter. His words provoked conflicting responses in the British art-community .

Bernd Neumann said that the authorities in Germany consider the return of stolen works of art to their "moral duty". in 2007 created a government agency that studies the provenance of works held in public meetings.

According to the Conference of the material claims of Jews in Germany during the Holocaust the Nazis had stolen from private collectors for at least 650 thousand works of art. In 1998, provisions were developed by Washington on the Nazis confiscated the property, which signed the 44 countries and organizations, including Germany. Provisions have no legal force, but the authorities are seeking to abide by them. Recently, for example, a German state bank Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale AG returned to the heirs of pre-war owner of a picture of Franz Marc (Franz Marc).

Material prepared Yulia Maximova

Sources: bloomberg.com , artinvestment.ru