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| 5 Works From Gurlitt Collection Wrongfully Taken From Jews, Task Force Finds | 5 Works From Gurlitt Collection Wrongfully Taken From Jews, Task Force Finds |
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| BERLIN — A task force the German government set up to determine whether any of the more than 1,200 artworks amassed by a Nazi-era art dealer had been looted from Jewish owners wrapped up work on Thursday amid conflicting assessments of its success. | BERLIN — A task force the German government set up to determine whether any of the more than 1,200 artworks amassed by a Nazi-era art dealer had been looted from Jewish owners wrapped up work on Thursday amid conflicting assessments of its success. |
| The revelation of the artworks’ existence in a Munich apartment in 2012 stirred outrage, as did the idea that the collection, which could be worth many millions of dollars, had been kept secret for so long. | The revelation of the artworks’ existence in a Munich apartment in 2012 stirred outrage, as did the idea that the collection, which could be worth many millions of dollars, had been kept secret for so long. |
| After two years of research by the task force, five pieces have been fully determined to have been wrongfully taken from Jewish owners, four of which have been returned to their descendants, German officials said at a news conference here to present the group’s final report. | After two years of research by the task force, five pieces have been fully determined to have been wrongfully taken from Jewish owners, four of which have been returned to their descendants, German officials said at a news conference here to present the group’s final report. |
| Monika Grütters, the culture minister, conceded that the work of the task force had not been completed as swiftly as initially hoped, and that the results were not those many had expected. But she added that important research had been conducted, and that the success of the efforts should not be measured in the number of restituted works. | Monika Grütters, the culture minister, conceded that the work of the task force had not been completed as swiftly as initially hoped, and that the results were not those many had expected. But she added that important research had been conducted, and that the success of the efforts should not be measured in the number of restituted works. |
| “The results are much better than this number indicates,” Ms. Grütters said. | “The results are much better than this number indicates,” Ms. Grütters said. |
| The two-year project, funded by the federal government and the state of Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital, cost more than 1.8 million euros, or about $1.96 million. It involved establishing an initial catalog of the works and delving into their ownership histories through the task force. | The two-year project, funded by the federal government and the state of Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital, cost more than 1.8 million euros, or about $1.96 million. It involved establishing an initial catalog of the works and delving into their ownership histories through the task force. |
| The drawings and paintings, which included works by Picasso and Matisse, as well as many lesser pieces, were confiscated in early 2012 from an apartment owned by Cornelius Gurlitt, whose father, Hildebrand Gurlitt, had collected them, as part of an investigation into tax evasion. The authorities kept the find a secret until November of that year, when it was revealed by a German newsmagazine. | The drawings and paintings, which included works by Picasso and Matisse, as well as many lesser pieces, were confiscated in early 2012 from an apartment owned by Cornelius Gurlitt, whose father, Hildebrand Gurlitt, had collected them, as part of an investigation into tax evasion. The authorities kept the find a secret until November of that year, when it was revealed by a German newsmagazine. |
| After intense criticism in the art world over why the news was not immediately made public, the German government set up the task force and said it would work “as quickly and as transparently as possible.” | After intense criticism in the art world over why the news was not immediately made public, the German government set up the task force and said it would work “as quickly and as transparently as possible.” |
| Mr. Gurlitt died in May 2014 at age 81, and left the collection to the Kunstmuseum Bern in Switzerland. But after a cousin came forward to dispute his will, the fate of the collection became uncertain once again. | Mr. Gurlitt died in May 2014 at age 81, and left the collection to the Kunstmuseum Bern in Switzerland. But after a cousin came forward to dispute his will, the fate of the collection became uncertain once again. |
| The task force, which included international experts and representatives from various ministries, found that 499 of the works had a questionable background. Pieces that could be determined to have belonged to the Gurlitt family’s private collection — 276 pieces that were either created by members of the family, or were created after 1945 — were excluded from further provenance research. | The task force, which included international experts and representatives from various ministries, found that 499 of the works had a questionable background. Pieces that could be determined to have belonged to the Gurlitt family’s private collection — 276 pieces that were either created by members of the family, or were created after 1945 — were excluded from further provenance research. |
| An additional 231 works were found to have belonged to German museums when they were removed by the Nazis as part of the “Degenerate Art” operation. | An additional 231 works were found to have belonged to German museums when they were removed by the Nazis as part of the “Degenerate Art” operation. |
| Among the works whose histories have been traced, four have been restored to the families of their original owners. They include an oil painting by Max Liebermann, “Two Riders on a Beach,” that sold for $2.9 million at auction, and a portrait by Matisse, “Femme Assise,” or “Seated Woman/Woman Sitting in an Armchair,” that was given to the descendants of Paul Rosenberg. Other restored works include a Pissarro and a drawing by Carl Spitzweg. | Among the works whose histories have been traced, four have been restored to the families of their original owners. They include an oil painting by Max Liebermann, “Two Riders on a Beach,” that sold for $2.9 million at auction, and a portrait by Matisse, “Femme Assise,” or “Seated Woman/Woman Sitting in an Armchair,” that was given to the descendants of Paul Rosenberg. Other restored works include a Pissarro and a drawing by Carl Spitzweg. |
| The fifth work, a drawing by Adolph von Menzel, was determined to have been looted, but it has not yet been restituted. | The fifth work, a drawing by Adolph von Menzel, was determined to have been looted, but it has not yet been restituted. |
| Ms. Grütters has pledged €1 million more additional research over the next year, through the newly established German Lost Art Foundation. That will go toward investigating remaining works in the Gurlitt collection in Munich that had questionable histories, as well as 185 paintings that were found at a second home Mr. Gurlitt owned, in Salzburg, Austria. | |
| One work that will no longer be under scrutiny is a fanciful watercolor originally attributed to Chagall and found among the collection in Salzburg. Last year, the Comité Marc Chagall determined that it was a fake. “This work is not a Chagall,” said Ingeborg Berggreen-Merkel, who headed the task force. “It is an imitation.” | One work that will no longer be under scrutiny is a fanciful watercolor originally attributed to Chagall and found among the collection in Salzburg. Last year, the Comité Marc Chagall determined that it was a fake. “This work is not a Chagall,” said Ingeborg Berggreen-Merkel, who headed the task force. “It is an imitation.” |
| “A lot of energy and public funds were put into the research,” Ms. Berggreen-Merkel said. “But it is not just about the artworks, it is about the fates of the people and family that stand behind these works.” | “A lot of energy and public funds were put into the research,” Ms. Berggreen-Merkel said. “But it is not just about the artworks, it is about the fates of the people and family that stand behind these works.” |
| The international team — with members from Austria, France, Hungary, Israel, Poland and the United States — encountered issues of language and distance, Ms. Berggreen-Merkel said. Jewish groups lamented a lack of transparency linked to Germany’s laws protecting individual privacy, and the use of German for many official documents, despite the international nature of the project. | The international team — with members from Austria, France, Hungary, Israel, Poland and the United States — encountered issues of language and distance, Ms. Berggreen-Merkel said. Jewish groups lamented a lack of transparency linked to Germany’s laws protecting individual privacy, and the use of German for many official documents, despite the international nature of the project. |
| “The task force could have progressed much more had its leadership managed the process properly,“ Ronald S. Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, said in a statement. “We are concerned that the framework for further research at the German Lost Art Foundation remains totally unclear.” | “The task force could have progressed much more had its leadership managed the process properly,“ Ronald S. Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, said in a statement. “We are concerned that the framework for further research at the German Lost Art Foundation remains totally unclear.” |
| An English translation of the 40-page final report is expected to be made available in several weeks. | An English translation of the 40-page final report is expected to be made available in several weeks. |