NEW YORK, USA – New York prosecutors have successfully returned two pieces of art to the heirs of a Jewish Holocaust victim, adding to the ongoing battle to recover valuable pieces stolen by Nazis.
The artworks, created by Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele, were seized by the Nazis from the estate of Fritz Grünbaum, a Jewish performer and collector who was murdered in the Holocaust. Prosecutors have been working to reclaim the stolen art, which includes around 80 watercolor and pencil works.
After a lengthy legal battle, “Portrait of a Man” and “Girl with Black Hair” were surrendered by museums in Pittsburgh and Ohio, with a collective value of around $2.5 million. However, a third artwork by Schiele, “Russian War Prisoner,” remains at the Art Institute of Chicago, as it maintains that the piece was legally acquired.
Grünbaum’s family has been fighting for the return of the artwork, with one of his heirs thanking leaders at Oberlin College and the Carnegie Institute for doing the right thing. Timothy Reif, a great-grandnephew of Grünbaum and a federal judge in New York City, stated that it is a victory for justice and the memory of a brave artist, collector, and opponent of Fascism.
The artworks were forcibly taken from Grünbaum’s wife, who was coerced into signing away the art to Nazi officials. The pieces reappeared in Switzerland in 1956 and were sold in New York galleries as part of a shady art deal with members of the Nazi regime. Despite a prior ruling from another federal judge in 2010 stating that the art collection was not looted, Grünbaum’s heirs continue to fight for the return of the remaining piece.
The ongoing legal battle highlights the complexities of reclaiming stolen art and the significance of honoring the memory of victims of the Holocaust. As the fight for justice continues, the return of these valuable pieces serves as a symbol of hope and perseverance for the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum.