Category: News about the Case

Press Clipping: A Suit Over Schiele Drawings Invokes New Law on Nazi-Looted Art

The New York Times

A Suit Over Schiele Drawings Invokes New Law on Nazi-Looted Art

By WILLIAM D. COHAN FEB. 27, 2017

Egon Schiele’s “Woman Hiding Her Face” (1912) is one of two drawings at issue in a suit brought by heirs of the collector Fritz Grunbaum.

When the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act was adopted unanimously by Congress in December, it was widely praised as a necessary tool to help the heirs of Holocaust victims recover art stolen from their families during World War II.

Now the efficacy of the HEAR Act, as it is known, may get an early test in New York State Court, where the heirs of Fritz Grunbaum, an Austrian Jewish entertainer, are citing it in efforts to claim two valuable colorful drawings by Egon Schiele.

Read the full article in the New York Times here

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Erwiderung zur Presseaussendung der Sammlung Leopold

Am 01.11. erschien eine Presseaussendung des Leopold Museum:

Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung (ver)wehrt sich gegen Raubkunst-Vorwürfe

Darin behauptet das Museum, die Restitutionsforschung des BMUKK hätte eindeutig festgestellt, das die Sammlung Grünbaum nicht als Raubkunst zu bezeichnen sei.

Dies ist die Sicht des Leopold Museums, doch was sagen andere Stellen dazu? Read more

New York Times: Dispute Over Nazi Victim´s Art

The similarities between two art works being auctioned next month by Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York are striking. Both were created by the Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele. And both once belonged to FritzGrünbaum, a Viennese cabaret performer whose large art collection wasinventoried by Nazi agents after he was sent to the Dachau concentration camp, where he died.But there is also a notable difference in the way the houses are handlingthe sales. Read more

Presseaussendung Fritz Grünbaum: Die arisierte Sammlung

NewYork/ Wien (OTS) – Am 5.11.2014 kommt bei Christie’s in New York das Gemälde von Egon Schiele Stadt am blauen Fluss (Krumau) mit einem Schätzwert zwischen $ 800.000-$ 1,2 Millionen zur Versteigerung. Grundlage der Versteigerung war eine einvernehmliche Teilung des erzielten Auktionspreises zwischen den aktuellen Besitzern und den Erben des im Konzentrationslager in Dachau während der Nazizeit ermordeten Fritz Grünbaum.

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Press release: Nazi art looting restitution settlement agreement leads to Christie´s auction of a rare artwork

New York, NY (MMD Newswire) October 16, 2014 – Christie’s auction house today announced the upcoming November 5 evening Impressionist and Modern auction of Town on the Blue River (1910) an extremely rare watercolor landscape by the Austrian artist Egon Schiele (1890-1918). The auction is the result of the successful resolution of a restitution settlement agreement with the estate of Fritz Grünbaum, a Viennese Jewish cabaret performer in (1880-1941) who died in the Dachau Concentration Camp.

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Negativ Decision of Second Instance

Bakalar BildMit dieser Entscheidung wird David Bakalar das alleinige Besitzrecht auf Schieles Seated Woman with Bent Left Leg (Torso), Sitzende mit angezogenem linken Bein (Torso) von der zweiten Instanz zuerkannt. Begründet wird diese Entscheidung mit einer spezifischen Form der Verjährung im New Yorker Recht, nämlich dem schuldhaften Mangel an Bemühungen der Vorfahren der Erben von Fritz Grünbaum das Bild bereits zu einem früheren Zeitpunkt von David Bakalar zu fordern. Dies obwohl es den Erben und deren Vorfahren der Aufenthaltsort des Bildes völlig unbekannt war. Der erstinstanzliche Richter Judge William H. Pauley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Pauley_III  meinte bereits in einem frühen Verfahrensstand, dass für den Fall die Erben von Fritz Grünbaum  das Eigentum des Bildes wieder erlangen würden die Ureinwohner von Amerika auch erfolgreich Long Island fordern könnten.….

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With this decision, David Bakalar received sole ownership rights to Schiele Seated Woman with Bent Left Leg (Torso), seated with left leg tightened (torso) is by the second instance. This decision is justified by a specific form of the statute of limitations in New York law (called laches), namely the culpable lack of efforts by the ancestors of the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum to claim the work of art  at an earlier time, although the whereabouts of the Gouache was completely unknown.

download2012 10 11 Summary Order-negative Schlussentscheidung (english only)

 

 

[scribd id=135972899 key=key-m9ctbde8lpo6pxemg66 mode=scroll]

2012 04 16 “Art Dealers Asociation” Amicus Letter / Amicus Brief

2012 04 16 Reply to Opposition to Bakalar Amici Motion for Leave to File Amicus Brief

 

It is a remarkable that now towards the end of the process, the art dealer represented by the London dealer Richard Nagy http://www.richardnagy.com participates in the proceedings. This commitment to the “Art Dealers Asociation” shows the real opponents of this procedure around looted art, namely deprived families versus art market. Richard Nagy is personally affected by this courts procedure, because part of his portfolio is the de facto inalienable Schiele painting from the collection of Fritz Grunbaum >> Woman in Black Pinafore, JK 888 << . As per “Art Basel, Daily newspaper, Thursday 16, june 2005” the painting was on offer by auction house Richard Nagy for € 650 000,–

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Es ist bemerkenswert, dass nunmehr gegen Ende des Verfahrens die Kunsthändler prominent vertreten durch den Londoner Kunsthändler Richard Nagy http://www.richardnagy.com. Dieses Engagement der „Art Dealers Asociation“ zeigt die eigentlichen Fronten dieses Verfahrens um Raubkunst auf, nämlich beraubte Familien versus Kunstmarkt. Richard Nagy ist persönlich materielle von diesem Verfahren betroffen, da er das Schiele Bild aus der Sammlung von Fritz Grünbaum >>Frau mit schwarzer Schürze (Woman in black Pinafore), JK 888<< de facto unveräußerbar in seinem Portfolio hält. Laut Art Basel Daily Newspaper vom Donnerstag, 16. Juni 2005 war das Bild von Richard Nagy um € 650.000,– zum Verkauf angeboten worden.

Girl with black pinafore

Neujahrswünsche / New Year Wishes

Wir wünschen Ihnen ein schönes und erfolgreiches Neues Jahr !

Den Erben von Fritz Grünbaum wünschen wir, dass die zuständigen Stellen zumindest auf Schreiben antworten.

Die Leopold Museum Privatstiftung und Mag. Dr. Sonja Niederacher, Provenienzforschung bm:ukk-lmp im Leopold Museum im MQ ließen dieses Minimum an Hochachtung vermissen.

[scribd id=76780701 key=key-1en2uiq4oumq0s98ny0e mode=list] Unbeantwortete Schreiben an das Leopoldmuseum

[scribd id=76782735 key=key-1f87ievq6kjy3rfk3fav mode=list]Unbeantwortetes Schreiben an Mag. Dr. Niederacher

Weiters wünschen wir den Erbe, dass das Verfahren auf Restitution der beiden Werke Egon Schieles aus der Sammlung Fritz Günbaums die in der  Albertina nach einer Schenkung von Erich Lederer verwahrt werden, nach mehr als 12- jähriger Dauer positiv abgeschlossen wird.

We wish you a happy and successful New Year!

We wish to the heirs of Fritz Grunbaum that the competent authorities at least respond to letters.

The Leopold Museum Privatstiftung and Mag. Dr. Sonja Niederacher, provenanceresearcher at the Leopold Museum missed to show this modicum of respect for the heirs.

Furthermore we wish the heirs to get back the two paintings, which are deposed at the Albertina, after 12 years of formal procedure.

Rebuttal on Dossier Grünbaum (English Version)

Find German Version here

With their decision of November 18, 2010, the Commission[1] appointed by the Austrian Federal Minister for Education, Arts and Culture, Dr. Claudia Schmied, under the chairmanship of the former Minister Dr. Nikolaus Michalek concluded that, with regard to the works of art currently held by the Leopold Museum Private Foundation and which were owned by Fritz Grünbaum until 1939, an offense as defined in Section 1 Subsection 1 of the Austrian Art Restitution Law would also not have been committed if these had been federal state property.

This decision was based on the Fritz Grünbaum Dossier compiled by Dr. Sonja Niederacher, dated June 30, 2010.She was jointly commissioned by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture and the Leopold Museum Private Foundation.

Through the omission of evidence and poor representation of the evidence put forward, this Dossier led the Commission to the erroneous conclusion that divestment of the collection as defined in Section 1 of the Annulment Act cannot be established.

This document serves as a rebuttal of the errors and omissions made in the compilation of the said Dossier – and presupposes knowledge of the Dossier to avoid repetition.

Read more: Rebuttal of Dossier Gruenbaum

Attachments Dossier:

A – Letter from ITS [international Tracing Service] Bad Arolsen, dated December 20, 2007

B – VAEV Akten Lilly und Fritz Grünbaum

C – Confirmation from the Austrian State Archives (ÖSTA) on February 26, 2008, that no records from the foreignexchange office have survived

D – Amendment of the Foreign Exchange Control Law from December 1, 1936

E -Ruling by the general Settlement Fund regarding Leon Fischer (english)

F – Ruling by the General Settlement Fund regarding Milos Vavra (english)

G – Extract from Austrian Social Insurance Authority for Business (SVA der gewerblichen   Wirtschaft) files, letter from Sigmund Lukacs dated 1959, in which he requested to be admitted to the SVA old people’s home.

H – Der Aufbau: Article on the death of Fritz Grünbaum, dated August 17, 1945 (english translation attached)

I – Probate file for Mathilde Lukacs, 2 A 847 BG Döbling

J – Expert report examining questioned documents of November 7, 2005

K – Bakalar vs. Fischer and Vavra – ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (english)

L – INTERNATIONALnews article, dated September 7, 2010, on the ruling by the Court of Appeals in New York, (english)

M – Summary of facts sent by Bratschi Emch & Partner to Mr. Thomas Buomberger on behalf of Galerie Kornfeld, dated April 16, 1998

[1] Members: Head of department Dr. Harald Dossi, President University Professor Clemens Jabloner, Vice President retired Dr. Manfred Kremser, University Professor Franz Stefan Meissel, retired ambassador Dr. Eva Nowotny, University Professor Helmut Ofner, Emeritus University Professor Theo Öhlinger, Emeritus University Professor Peter Rummel, Ambassador Dr. Ferdinand Trauttmannsdorff.