Art pieces created by the celebrated Austrian artist, Egon Schiele, have been confiscated from three U.S. museums, following allegations that Nazis unlawfully took them from a Jewish collector during WWII.
Search warrants have named institutions in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Oberlin, Ohio. The New York State Supreme Court issued these, asserting a plausible ground to consider the art pieces “illegally procured property.”
While the Manhattan District Attorney’s office did not respond to CNN’s queries regarding the investigation specifics, it’s known that these three artworks – including the “Russian Prisoner of War” at the Chicago Institute of Art, the “Portrait of a Man” from Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, and “Girl with Black Hair” from the Allen Memorial Art Museum – are subjects of ongoing civil cases initiated by descendants of Fritz Grünbaum.
Fritz Grünbaum, renowned as an Austrian comedian, cabaret performer, and lyricist, had a significant art collection of nearly 450 pieces as mentioned in the court files by his heirs. 81 of these were creations of Schiele, an acclaimed expressionist artist and a student of Gustav Klimt.
In a tragic turn of events in 1938, Grünbaum was imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp. His heirs allege that he was coerced into handing over an illegal power of attorney to his spouse before his execution in 1941. Court records further state that his wife, Elisabeth, was subsequently pressurized to sell his possessions, which the Nazis then plundered. Elisabeth later faced a tragic fate in a concentration camp.
The confiscated artworks, consisting of watercolour and pencil creations, were crafted during Schiele’s later years, from 1911 to 1917. Their estimated worth is between $1 million and $1.5 million each.
The Art Institute of Chicago’s representative mentioned their firm belief in the legitimate procurement and possession of their artwork, noting the matter is actively under civil adjudication.
Oberlin College conveyed their assurance of legally obtaining and possessing the Schiele artwork, mentioning, “We’re convinced that Oberlin isn’t the primary focus of the Manhattan DA’s criminal probe into this issue.”
A Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh representative shared with CNN their staunch dedication to ethical, legal, and professional art and science preservation standards. They assured their complete cooperation with the pertinent authorities.
Interestingly, the search warrants state the artworks should be “retained on-site,” implying they can stay in the museums for now.
The unfolding saga around the artworks alleged to have been looted by the Nazis serves as a potent reminder of the lasting impacts of wartime transgressions on art and cultural heritage. As museums globally grapple with the ethics of possession and display, such cases spotlight the ongoing challenges in reconciling past wrongs and ensuring rightful restitution. How the courts will adjudicate these specific cases remains to be seen, but the broader dialogue on art, ownership, and historical injustices continues to evolve.
