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Swiss museum to accept Gurlitt 'Nazi art' Swiss museum to accept Gurlitt 'Nazi art'
(about 3 hours later)
Switzerland's Bern Art Museum has agreed to accept hundreds of artworks bequeathed by German Nazi-era art hoarder Cornelius Gurlitt.Switzerland's Bern Art Museum has agreed to accept hundreds of artworks bequeathed by German Nazi-era art hoarder Cornelius Gurlitt.
Many of the works are expected to remain in Germany until their rightful owners can be identified. Mr Gurlitt, the son of Adolf Hitler's art dealer, had a large stash of works by artists including Picasso and Monet.
Mr Gurlitt, the son of Adolf Hitler's art dealer, amassed a priceless collection of works, including pieces by Picasso and Monet. A Bern museum spokesman said pieces looted by the Nazis in World War Two would not be permitted in the museum.
He died in May aged 81 with the Bern museum named his "sole heir". Around 500 works are expected to remain in Germany until their rightful owners can be identified.
Mr Gurlitt died in May aged 81 having named the Bern museum as his "sole heir".
The Bavarian authorities seized some 1,280 artworks from his Munich flat as part of a tax evasion probe in February 2012.The Bavarian authorities seized some 1,280 artworks from his Munich flat as part of a tax evasion probe in February 2012.
The find, which was not made public until November last year, has triggered legal disputes surrounding works taken illegally by the Nazis.The find, which was not made public until November last year, has triggered legal disputes surrounding works taken illegally by the Nazis.
'Historic burden''Historic burden'
The Bern museum's president, Christoph Schaeublin, told a news conference in Berlin on Monday that the museum would accept the bequest. Christoph Schaeublin, president of board of trustees of the Bern Art Museum, told a news conference in Berlin on Monday that the museum would accept the bequest.
But "no work suspected of being looted" would enter the museum, he said.But "no work suspected of being looted" would enter the museum, he said.
The museum pledged to work with German authorities to ensure that "all looted art in the collection is returned" to its rightful owners. The museum pledged to work with German authorities to ensure that "all looted art in the collection is returned" to its rightful owners.
Descendants' claims Analysis by BBC News arts editor Will Gompertz
I assume the Bern Museum thought long and hard before accepting the Gurlitt bequest, but I wonder if it might come to regret its decision.
There's very little about this story that has been straightforward thus far, a state of affairs that seems likely to continue. The Bern institution might find there's a heavy administrative and reputational cost to owning these works, which I suspect harbour yet more secrets.
It has said that any known looted artworks will not be permitted in the museum, and it will work with the Bavarian authorities should any of the works it is accepting become the subject of a claim.
I'm not sure how reassured those families who had their paintings plundered by the Nazis will feel about that statement; it is not as if either country has a particularly glowing track record in the field of returning looted art.
"The foundation council's decision was anything but easy and there certainly weren't emotions of triumph," said Mr Schaeublin."The foundation council's decision was anything but easy and there certainly weren't emotions of triumph," said Mr Schaeublin.
"These would be entirely inappropriate considering the historic burden weighing heavily on this art collection.""These would be entirely inappropriate considering the historic burden weighing heavily on this art collection."
The Swiss museum reached a compromise with the German government, which has agreed to store the hundreds of disputed paintings, and track down the original owners, reports the BBC's Damien McGuinness in Berlin.
The agreement could mean that the families of the original owners can avoid more legal battles, our correspondent adds.
Descendants' claims
Mr Gurlitt's father, Hildebrand Gurlitt, was ordered to deal in works that had been seized from Jews, or which the Nazis had considered "degenerate" and removed from German museums.Mr Gurlitt's father, Hildebrand Gurlitt, was ordered to deal in works that had been seized from Jews, or which the Nazis had considered "degenerate" and removed from German museums.
Among the collection were works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Emil Nolde and Max Liebermann. His hoard is estimated to be worth up to a billion euros (£850m; $1.35bn) and includes works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Emil Nolde and Max Liebermann.
A German task force is investigating the art amid claims from descendants of the original owners, including the family of art dealer Paul Rosenberg.A German task force is investigating the art amid claims from descendants of the original owners, including the family of art dealer Paul Rosenberg.
Christopher A Marinello, who is representing the Rosenbergs in their efforts to recover Henri Matisse's Femme Assise [Seated Woman], said on Monday the family were "grateful" to the museum.
"We hope now for the expeditious return of all looted works in the Gurlitt bequest to their rightful owners," he said in a statement.
Cornelius Gurlitt initially refused to give up the paintings but then changed his position, agreeing to co-operate with the German authorities on establishing the paintings' provenance, and then return them if they were shown to be stolen.Cornelius Gurlitt initially refused to give up the paintings but then changed his position, agreeing to co-operate with the German authorities on establishing the paintings' provenance, and then return them if they were shown to be stolen.
But one of his cousins, 86-year-old Uta Werner, said on Friday she was contesting his fitness of mind when he wrote the will naming the Bern museum as his sole heir. One of his cousins, 86-year-old Uta Werner, said on Friday she was contesting his fitness of mind when he wrote the will naming the Bern museum as his sole heir.
However German media quoted her brother, Dietrich Gurlitt, saying he would not object to the will.
The family has stressed its commitment to returning any looted art and a transparent effort to clarify the origins of the artworks.