The restitution of the drawings of Egon Schiele (1890-1918) represents an important victory for the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum. The Austrian Jewish artist and collector was deported to the Dachau concentration camp, where he died in 1941. His wife, Elisabeth, was then forced to hand over the entire collection to the Nazi authorities, before being deported and killed at the Maly Trostinec concentration camp. The works had reappeared on the art market in the 1950s, first in Switzerland, then resold on the New York square.
Seven artworks - valued at around $1 million each - that were stolen by the Nazis from an Austrian-Jewish cabaret performer will be returned to his relatives after more than 70 years, Manhattan prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Artwork stolen by Nazis to be returned to heirs of Austrian Jewish cabaret star thelocal.at - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thelocal.at Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In 1938, Grünbaum and his wife were arrested by the Nazis and forced to sign a document giving her power of attorney; forcing them to sign a paper claiming they voluntarily turned over the art.