Guardian "Munich treasure" ready to discuss restitution
ARTinvestment.RU   30 января 2014

Cornelius Gurlitt agree to discuss the possible return of work, compensation or a share of proceeds from the sale of certain works of art from the collection of his father, but only if it is proven that they were stolen from the former owners of the Nazis

bloomberg.com

Cornelius Gurlitt , Munich in whose apartment was found in 1406 works of art , said through his lawyer that he was ready to discuss possible restitution, compensation or a share of proceeds from the sale of certain works of art from the collection of his father, an art dealer Hildebrandt Gurlitt , but only if it is proven that they were stolen from the former owners of the Nazis .

This statement is grossly inconsistent with previous statements Gurlitt , made ​​in an interview Der Spiegel magazine last November . Then reclusive collector said that he considered his rightful property of collection , inherited from his father. Lawyer Gurlitt Hannes Hartung (Hannes Hartung) says that this interview has exposed his client in the wrong light . The intention to address the issues of restitution says at least that Gurlitt shared revenue from the sale of works by Max Beckmann " lion tamer " on Lempertz in 2011 from the heirs of its former owner. "And he has not changed his opinion. He was always fair and open to solving such issues , as was the case with the Beckman "- says lawyer Hartung .

According to the German government , about 970 works from 1406 , found in the Munich apartment Cornelius Gurlitt , could be confiscated by the Nazis from private and public collections . Of these, approximately 590 works were allegedly taken away from private collectors , but also about 380 - withdrawn from public museums . Several hundred papers have been published by the German government on the website www.lostart.de . Applicants for them already, and they are encouraged to apply directly to a lawyer Hartung .

However , apparently , Gurlitt and his lawyer did not agree with the government estimates the number of works stolen by the Nazis , and calculate amount of work to restitution which they may have to agree somewhat differently. As Hartung said the lawyer in a telephone interview , "We are interested in how to deal with such issues fairly and consistently . If there were cases where a Jew was killed , and his paintings ended up at his father [ father Cornelius - Hildebrandt Gurlitt ] , in which case it is , of course, return them . However , to our knowledge , such a case associated with these pictures , there was ».

Prepared by Mary Onuchina , AI

Sources : nytimes.com , bloomberg.com , haaretz.com