Struggling Swiss Museum Sells Cézanne Paintings for $53 Million Amid Controversy

Museum Langmatt reaches settlement with Jewish family forced to sell 'Fruits and Jar of Ginger' under Nazi regime, sparking debate over museum de-accessioning practices.

• The financially struggling Museum Langmatt in Switzerland sold three paintings by Paul Cézanne for $53 million at auction to raise funds for building renovations and to create an endowment.
• Before the auction, the museum reached a settlement with the heirs of Jacob Goldschmidt, a Jewish art dealer who was forced to sell one of the paintings, 'Fruits and Jar of Ginger', under the Nazi regime in 1933.
• The museum agreed to give an undisclosed part of the proceeds from the sale of 'Fruits and Jar of Ginger' to Goldschmidt's heirs, acknowledging that the sale would not have taken place if not for the persecution by the Nazi regime.
• The sale of the paintings has sparked controversy in the art world, with critics arguing that institutions should not auction collections to raise funds. The Swiss branch of the International Council of Museums called the sale a clear breach of its guidelines for de-accessioning from museum collections.
• Despite the controversy, Markus Stegmann, the museum’s director, stated that the sale was a 'decisive milestone' for the museum, which was facing potential insolvency.

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