Matisse work from art trove returned to owner's heirs

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By GEIR MOULSON

BERLIN (AP) — A Matisse painting that was looted by the Nazis and became part of a German collector's long-hidden trove was handed over on Friday to the heirs of a Jewish art dealer.

Henri Matisse's "Woman Sitting in an Armchair" was one of the first two works from the vast trove of art hoarded by Cornelius Gurlitt to be returned to its rightful owners.

Lawyer Chris Marinello, who represents the heirs of Paris-based dealer Paul Rosenberg and traveled to Munich to pick up the painting, said he was delighted with its return and hopes the German government "will act with expediency and transparency in reviewing and resolving other claims to the Gurlitt pictures."

Gurlitt died last May, a few months after it emerged that authorities had seized some 1,400 items at his Munich apartment while investigating a tax case in 2012. Officials have been checking whether several hundred of the works were seized from their owners by the Nazis.

FULL story at link.



“Woman Sitting in an Armchair” by Henri Matisse.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/456811a76747456b8b0ef92e2e431b0b/matisse-work-art-trove-returned-owners-heirs

---

Go see the "Woman in Gold" while it is still in theaters: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026491764

[secondwind]

1. lovely painting...

[d_legendary1]

2. Not sure how international laws work regarding stolen artwork

But here I know that if you buy stolen articles but don't know that they have been stolen you are entitled to keep the article that you purchased (unless of course there is enough evidence that you did know that your purchase was illegitimate). Of course this only works if you purchased the loot off of someone who owns a legitimate business and not off some dude in a dark alley somewhere.

[Coventina]

3. Where do you live? Everywhere I've lived, stolen items are given back, period.

Buying a stolen item, even in good faith, is not grounds to keep it from its rightful owners.

Many museums have been forced to give up items they paid millions of dollars for, when it turned out the item was stolen.

[d_legendary1]

5. If I said Florida

Would that tell you everything?

[packman]

4. From the site given -

"Experts have determined that two more pieces from the Gurlitt trove, Carl Spitzweg's "Couple of Musicians" and Camille Pissarro's "The Seine seen from the Pont-Neuf, the Louvre in the background" were looted by the Nazis."

The Nazi element looting private art work would probably supersede any other claims of supposed ownership.

[d_legendary1]

6. I suppose it would, wouldn't it?

Hard to argue on behalf Nazis after what the did to everyone.