Tag: Limbach Commission

Art Law: The Gurlitt Paintings – A Treasure Trove of Looted Art

Picasso, Chagall, Marc, Nolde, Spitzweg, Renoir, Macke, Courbet, Beckmann, Kandinsky, Kokoschka, Matisse, Liebermann and Dix – the names of the artists, and the sheer amount of art seized by German authorities in Munich in 2012 is making headlines around the world, since news magazine FOCUS broke the news on Sunday. Almost 1,500 paintings were seized, as part of a customs and tax investigation by German authorities, in the apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt. It is both temping and somewhat dangerous to come up with a legal assessment at this point in time, where many facts are not known. The Augsburg’s public prosecutor’s office (Staatsanwaltschaft Augsburg) held a press conference this morning and press reports are coming through as this post is written (here’s the link to the live blog from that press conference on FOCUS). Read More

Kokoschka and Cologne: City Council Votes in Favour of Restitution

A follow-up on my earlier post on the claim the heirs of art dealer Alfred Flechtheim to return Oskar Kokoschka’s portrait of Tilla Durieux and the recommendation of the Limbach Commission to return the painting: On April 30, 2013, the Cologne City Council has voted to follow the recommendation. At the same time, the City of Cologne will discuss with the heirs whether there are options to keep “Tilla Durieux” in Cologne, including a possible acquisition.

Art Law: Limbach Commission Recommends To Return Kokoschka Painting to Flechtheim Heirs

Last week we reported that Bavaria is being taken to court in the US over a restitution claim of the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy family, after it refused to bring the matter to the Limbach Commission. The City of Cologne (Köln), to the contrary, had agreed to bring the claim to return Oskar Kokoschka’s portrait of Tilla Durieux to the heirs of art dealer Alfred Flechtheim before the Commission. It is now faced with a recommendation of the Limbach Commission (its full name being Beratende Kommission im Zusammenhang mit der Rückgabe NS-verfolgungsbedingt entzogener Kulturguts, insbesondere aus jüdischem Besitz).On April 30, 2013, the Cologne City Council will have to decide whether to return the painting or not. Read More