The decision was made artistic center Henie-Onstad, which is not far from Oslo, after investigating the provenance of painting "Woman in blue dress by the fireplace" brush Matisse

Henri Matisse
a woman in a blue dress by the fireplace. 1937
Source : nytimes.com

Norwegian Art Center Henie-Onstad, founded in 1968 Olympic champion in figure skating and Hollywood actress Sonia Henie and her husband, Niels Onstad Norwegian shipowner , decided to return to the restitution one of the best paintings of his collection - work "Woman in a blue dress by the fireplace " (1937 ) painted by Henri Matisse . As it turned out , close to the Oslo museum for over 60 years owned the product illegally seized by the Nazis in pre-war owner - Parisian art dealer Paul Rosenberg .

painting "Woman in a blue dress by the fireplace " was bought by Paul Rosenberg in 1937 , the year it was written . And in 1941, 162 works from the Paris gallery Rosenberg were confiscated by the German soldiers. Preserved dating from 1942 list printing Hering , which is among the Matisse painting seized from Paul Rosenberg . I was gallerist and his list of stolen works ( now this list is kept by the heirs ) . Then the picture came into the hands of art dealer Gustav Rochlitz , which in 1947 the French tribunal condemned for what he helped the Nazis to sell the stolen works of art. Next picture somehow got Matisse Gallery in Paris Galerie Bénézit, where it acquired in 1950 Niels Onstad , who knew about her pre-war existence . The collection of the Centre Henie-Onstad « A woman in a blue dress by the fireplace " entered in 1961 .

Paul Rosenberg and his family were actively looking for work from the family collection from 1946 to 1960 . Despite their numerous publications in the media, information that Matisse painting is wanted , and did not reach the museum Niels Onstad . Instead, the museum until recently was a different version of the provenance . According to museum records, work until 1942 belonged to a Parisian collector Paul Petrides . In 1949, she seemed to hit the Parisian Galerie Bénézit. Apparently, this was a fictional provenance Set to mislead potential buyers who became Onstad .

At the next Matisse first attack in 2012, experts from the Art Loss Register. This happened when the picture was sent to a temporary exhibition at the Pompidou Centre . They reported on the location of the heirs of the fabric ( the main successor - granddaughter Marianne Rosenberg ) , and negotiations began . Museum thoroughly investigated the provenance of work and agreed with the arguments heirs. As said at the press conference, representatives of the museum guide, a decision on the restitution of works of Matisse , is likely to affect other Norwegian institutions if they face similar requests .

Material prepared by Mary Onuchina , AI

Sources : artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com , artdaily.com , artinvestment.ru