Austrian commission rules that Nazi looted art should be returned

An art commission set up by Austria’s Ministry of Culture has ruled that the country’s Leopold Museum should return seven Nazi looted paintings to their rightful owners.

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Nazi-Looted Art Should be Returned by Museum, Austrian Commission Rules
By Jonathan Tirone – Nov 24, 2010 10:06 AM GMT

Austria’s Leopold Museum should return seven Nazi-looted paintings by Egon Schiele and Anton Romako to their rightful owners, said an art commission set up by the country’s Ministry of Culture.

Five Schiele paintings and two Romako works should be returned, the ministry said yesterday on its website. The paintings had belonged to Maurice Eisler and Karl Maylaender, both Jews persecuted by Nazis, according to the commission. The decision is non-binding.

The Leopold Museum, which paid $19 million earlier this year to settle a Schiele restitution case, has said it wants to complete research into the provenance of its entire art works by the end of the year. Diethard Leopold, the chair of the museum’s foundation, estimates that up to 50 works may be affected.

Leopold Museum spokesman Klaus Pokorny didn’t immediately return a telephone call and e-mail message seeking comment.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jonathan Tirone at jtirone@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net; Mark Beech at mbeech@bloomberg.net