The first picture from the collection of Cornelius Gurlitt returned to the real owners

The first work from the controversial collection of Cornelius Gurlitt was returned to the heirs of the original owner on May 15.

“Femme assise” Henri Matisse was found hidden in a box with tomatoes in Gurlitt’s apartment in Munich in 2012. The painting was stolen from the French art dealer Paul Rosenberg by the Nazis during World War II.

Henri Matisse - Seated Woman

German authorities found this job and about 1,300 others during a routine tax audit. Most of the collection was collected by Gurlitt’s father during World War II. Although the collection was discovered in February 2012, German officials kept this discovery secret until the German magazine Focus introduced it in November 2013.

After more than a year of research work, the group of experts in the study of the collection unequivocally identified the owners of only four paintings, which will now be returned to the owners. In addition to Matisse, owned by the Rosenbergs, Two Riders on the Beach, Max Lieberman, The Louvre and the Louvre in the Background by Pissarro and The Seine from the Pont-Neuf drawing by Karl Spitzweg.

The work of returning the paintings to the real owners is very slow. Disagreements over the inheritance of Gurlitt’s property after his death in May 2014 caused additional delays. “Investigating the origin of the work takes time, we cannot rush this process,” says Christopher Marinello, lawyer for the Rosenberg family. “But, at the same time, it is necessary to resolve the claims of the families of the victims, who have been searching for their property for 75 years.” It is expected that the painting of Lieberman will be returned to the real owners within a week.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru