Painting, "Allegory of Painting" is one of the most outstanding works of Dutch artist. Its value may be more than $ 200 million

descendants of the Austrian aristocrat who sold to Adolf Hitler painting by Jan Vermeer's "Allegory of Painting", requiring them to return to work on restitution. If they manage to win the canvas, then it certainly falls in the auction and become the most expensive in the history of art: its value is conservatively estimated at 150 million euros (211 million dollars).

"Allegory of Painting" (1665-1668) is a collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It is the most valuable product of all that is stored in public meetings of the Austrian capital and only a creation of Vermeer, located in the country. The legacy of the artist is only 34 paintings, all of which are stored in museums (including the Louvre, the Metropolitan, Dresden Gallery and Amsterdam Reyksmuzeum). Experts say "Allegory of Painting" the most significant work of Vermeer.

painting was kept in the artist until his death in 1675. His widow wanted to keep jobs at home, but they found themselves in dire financial straits, was forced to sell it. Later, the canvas was attributed to a colleague Vermeer Peter de Hohu (Pieter de Hooch). In 1813 th of his family acquired Chernin.

heirs of pre-war owner canvases Jaromir Czernin (Jaromir Czernin) claim that he sold it under pressure from the Nazis. After the war he went to as many as 15 years for the courts, trying to return the canvas, but it did not work. Now experts hired by the Austrian government, are investigating the circumstances of the transaction with the Fuhrer.

Jaromir Czernin inherited the "Allegory of Painting" in 1929. After some time he decided to put it on the market. In 1937 he negotiated with the U.S. Treasury Andrew Mellon (Andrew Mellon) on the price of one million dollars in gold. The authorities agreed to allow the removal work. But in 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, and sale of paintings abroad became impossible. Chernin began to negotiate with the German industrialist Philip Reemtsma (Philipp Reemtsma), which is expected to act on behalf of Hermann Goering. It is known that the latter was anxious to acquire Vermeer in its collection - once he even traded a 150 pictures on a forged work of the great Dutchman, performed Han van Meegerenom (Han van Meegeren).

When Hitler found out about negotiations, he immediately bought the picture. Chernin had no right to refuse him, even despite the fact that the proposed price Fuhrer (1.65 million reyshmarok, about 660 thousand dollars for the then exchange rate) was significantly less than the amount called Reemtsma (2 million Reichsmark).

«It is clear that if Chernin said," Dear Führer, I know that you like my picture, but unfortunately I had already promised her to another client, then it will still be selected, and the family went to the seller a concentration camp ", - said the lawyer heirs Andreas Theissen (Andreas Theiss). The wife of an aristocrat was half Jewish. Later, Chernin took away all their belongings, and he spent three months in the dungeons of the Gestapo.

«Allegory of Painting" has become the most expensive painting by Hitler acquired for its "Führer Museum in Linz . Significant part of his collected works were selected by the Austrian Jews. Other works were bought in the Netherlands, and their owners were forced to sell. The collection was stored in the residence of Hitler in Munich, and he regularly her "visited". The Fuhrer was another canvas Vermeer - "Astronomer", chosen by the family of Rothschild. But he is more fond of German artists of the XIX century - Hans Makart (Hans Makart), Arnold Bocklin (Arnold Boecklin) and Anselm Feuerbach (Anselm Feuerbach).

the end of the war, meeting the dictator numbered around 4700 work. Museum in Linz was never built. In May 1944 the collection was hidden in a salt mine in Altaussee, where she was discovered by American soldiers.

«Allegory of Painting" was taken to Vienna in 1945 included an exposition of the Museum of Art History. As we already know, Chernin would like to win a job, but his attempts ended in nothing: the Austrian authorities said that for the recognition of paintings "sold under the pressure of" insufficient evidence. Aristocrat died in 1966.

course, Austria is not smiles abandonment "Allegory of Painting". Country ready to give up their treasures of restitution - in particular, five paintings by Gustav Klimt (Gustav Klimt), in 2006, won in court resident of California, Maria Altmann (Maria Altmann). In Austria, a variant of the purchase, but she did not do it - too expensive. One of the paintings, the so-called "Golden Adele", was purchased by billionaire Ronald S. Lauder (Ronald S. Lauder) for 135 million dollars. He bought it for his New York Museum Neue Galerie.

According to the director of the Museum of Art History Sabina Haag (Sabine Haag), it is expected that a decision on the future of Vermeer's paintings will be taken in 2010 . It will depend on the results of the study Hehenberger Suzanne (Susanne Hehenberger) and Monica Loescher (Monica Loescher), which now find out the provenance of work.

now in the museum is an exhibition devoted to the "Allegory of Painting". It will last until April 25.

article prepared by Julia Maksimova, AI

Sources: bloomberg.com , artinvestment.ru