NY Times
[...] When he learned on Monday that the Beckmann seller, Cornelius Gurlitt,
now 80, had reportedly sat on hundreds of works, including art by
Picasso and Matisse, that were confiscated under the Nazis or sold
cheaply by owners desperate to flee Hitler, Mr. Feddersen was amazed.
“Imagine!” he said, envisaging seeing and selling such a collection.
But even before the Beckmann was sold, the Bavarian authorities swooped
in on Mr. Gurlitt’s home to seize the rest of his treasure, according to
the newsmagazine Focus:
about 1,500 works estimated to be worth $1.4 billion. Focus said the
works were seized after the police and customs officials entered Mr.
Gurlitt’s home in Munich in spring 2011.
If confirmed, the discovery would be one of the biggest finds of
vanished art in years. But word of it left almost equally big questions
unanswered: Why did the German authorities let more than two years pass
before such a sizable find was disclosed? What will become of the
recovered works of art? Did Mr. Gurlitt continue to make sales even
after the raid? And where is he today?
There are no reports that Mr. Gurlitt has been detained or charged, and
questions about the history of the artworks, including whether they were
confiscated or subject to a forced or voluntary sale, would determine
whether a current sale or auction would be judged legitimate.
Since news of the find was first reported Sunday, the German authorities
have come under fierce criticism in the art world as to why they did
not make the discovery public.[...]
This is quite an amazing find. It's a bizarre story - the keeper of this artwork (assuredly passed down from his father who work on the Nazi art confiscation) did so for his own enjoyment and kept everyone away from his apartment. Please G-d, let's hope that it is properly repatriated like the Gustav Klimt piece.
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