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4mo ago

New York Court Orders Art Institute of Chicago to Return Nazi-Looted Schiele Drawing

The museum plans to appeal the ruling, which determined the artwork was stolen from Jewish collector Fritz Grünbaum during the Holocaust.

This image provided by the Manhattan district attorney's office, shows a watercolor and pencil on paper artwork, dated 1916 and titled "Russian War Prisoner," by Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele. The piece is one of three artworks believed to have been stolen from a Jewish art collector and entertainer during the Holocaust that have been seized from museums in three different states by New York law enforcement authorities on Sept. 13, 2023.

Overview

  • Judge Althea Drysdale ruled that the 1916 Egon Schiele drawing, 'Russian War Prisoner,' was looted by Nazis from Fritz Grünbaum before World War II.
  • The Art Institute of Chicago acquired the drawing in 1966 but failed to adequately verify its provenance, relying on forged documents by Swiss dealer Eberhard Kornfeld.
  • Grünbaum, a Jewish cabaret performer, was murdered at Dachau in 1941, and his heirs have sought restitution of his looted art collection for decades.
  • The museum displayed the drawing for years before it was seized by authorities in 2023, marking the start of the legal proceedings.
  • The Art Institute expressed disappointment with the ruling and announced its intention to appeal the decision.