Abraham Bloemart's "Moses Striking the Rock," a painting from 1596 now in its collection. The museum said it had investigated and did not find compelling evidence that Curt Glaser had been forced to sell the painting. Metropolitan Museum of Art via The New York Times.
by Catherine Hickley
(NYT NEWS SERVICE)
.- The Nazi authorities removed Curt Glaser from his post as director of the Berlin State Art Library in April 1933 because he was Jewish. He was also evicted from his home and, the following month, sold most of his art collection at two auctions. Since 2007, 13 private collectors or institutions including the Dutch Restitutions Committee, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in Berlin, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and the city of Basel have concluded that Glaser sold his collection in May 1933 as a result of Nazi persecution, and agreed to either return or pay some compensation to his heirs for art he sold that wound up in their collections. But the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have repeatedly rejected the heirs claims for paintings that were sold at the same auctions. They argue there is not enough evidence that Glaser sold under duress. The disparity in the decisions highlights how, 76 years after World War II ended, the criter ... More