During World War II, a foundation recently stopped two auctions of 17th-century oil still life paintings after claiming they were plundered by the Nazis.
It is reported this Columbus dispatchthe first thing to report this news.
However, research by the Monument Men and Women Foundation and the Jewish Digital Culture Restoration Project (JDCRP) noted that the two paintings were originally part of the artworks of Adolphe and Lucie Haas Schloss. In 1943, 333 paintings “Chasing and Dividing by Nazi Officials and their French Collaborators” were collected by Jewish and French Family families.
According to the Monument Men and Women Foundation, the Schloss family’s private master painting collection was split “through forced sales and legal sales and legal actions involving French and German authorities.” “Those Schloss works that ended up planning for Hitler’s museum in Linz, including two paintings from Ohio, were transferred to Munich and stored in Führerbau, at Hitler’s headquarters, and were subsequently robbed in the last days of the chaos in the Third Reich, and the Allies entered the city.”
Robert Edsel, founder of the Monument Men and Women Foundation, traveled to Ohio on September 4, shortly after researchers at his organization received tips about two paintings listed online. “My point is, I have a better chance [getting people to cooperate] If I’m with them in person, I can do it via a letter or a zoom call, which will also send a message about how serious I think it is. ” he told Artnews On the phone in Maastricht, Netherlands.
Edsel said the image of the artwork on the auction list on the Apple Tree website was “really bad”, but it did show the inventory number and inventory code in Germany. “They look like jewelry, good quality pictures,” he said.
In addition to Edsel’s experience in collecting old paintings, he is also non-fiction books. Monumentarians: Allied heroes, Nazi thieves and the greatest treasure hunt in history Regarding the commemorations during and after World War II, the Department of Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) was tasked with helping protect cultural property in war areas. The book was adapted into a movie by George Clooney in 2014.
After Edsel notified Apple Trees about the source and matching information of the paintings on the JDCRP website, sales of both works stopped and information about them was removed from the auction’s website.
“When I told them I thought they were plundered, they sold them right away, and they did put them in the vault, which is where they are now,” Edsel said. “Once I explained the situation to them, they were fully cooperative.”
It is believed that the oily images on the two vases in the vase were painted by Dutch artist Ambrosius Bosschaert (1573-1621).
If the two artworks are confirmed to be authentic and indeed confirmed by Bosschaert, they may be of great value after cleaning and restoration work.
The auction house has not yet revealed the names of the shippers of the two paintings to the Women and Women Foundation, and the organization is working to obtain the name of the bank that owns the safe. “Sales stopped, and our focus now is on identifying shippers, going to them and having them temporarily hand over custody to us to return them to the Schloss family,” Edsel said. “This is the goal of this stage and I believe we will succeed in doing this.”
Edsel said that in terms of value, the two paintings should be cleaned up, but fundamentally “very beautiful”.
“Any collector would be happy to have these favorites in the collection,” he said. Its estimated value ranges from $50,000 to $100,000 to work of Bosschaert or other well-known names is worth ten times more.
“Of course, we can say that they have a great source, and now they have a history of Nazi plundering and returning. And my experience of seeing works for sale at Sotheby’s and Christie, which have these proofs, especially those with some interest on the back, especially adding a certain number to some extent because it’s part of a certain number.
Apple Tree Auction Center has no call back Artnews Press Press Release.
