The state of Bavaria has announced the return of four paintings identified as Nazi-looted art to their rightful owners, marking a significant step in the ongoing effort to address historical injustices. The Bavarian State Painting Collections will restitute these artworks following extensive provenance research conducted by the newly established State Museum Agency of Bavaria.
Two paintings by Franz Sigrist the Elder, "Lot and His Daughters" and "Abraham Entertaining the Three Angels," will be returned to the heirs of the former Munich art dealership Brüder Lion. The gallery was forced to close in 1936 under Nazi persecution. Additionally, "Saint Anne with the Virgin and Child" by a pupil of Lucas Cranach the Elder will be returned to the descendants of Ernst Magnus, a persecuted Jewish director of the Commerz- und Disconto-Bank in Hanover. Magnus had sold the painting to finance his family's escape from Nazi Germany.
A fourth work, "At the Tavern Table" by Ernst Karl Georg Zimmermann, has also been identified as looted art, though the rightful heirs have not yet been definitively identified according to the State Painting Collections. The restitution decisions are based on research conducted by the Department of Provenance Research at the newly founded State Museum Agency of Bavaria.
The fate of a fifth painting remains uncertain. "Young Girl with Straw Hat" by Friedrich von Amerling will be submitted to the new nationwide arbitration court for Nazi-looted art for a final determination. The State Painting Collections views these five cases as expressing "more transparency and momentum in provenance research and restitution."
Bavaria has faced long-standing criticism regarding its restitution policies. In February of this year, scandals within the State Painting Collections came to light through press reports, particularly concerning the handling of potential Nazi-looted art. The examination of such suspected cases was criticized as opaque and sluggish, with accusations of cover-up attempts.
Following the scandal, longtime General Director Bernhard Maaz was forced to step down in early April. His successor, lawyer Anton Biebl, took over on an interim basis. The former Munich cultural affairs director inherited a difficult situation, as he is also tasked with advancing the state museums overall as a change manager. The goal now is to rebuild trust and work transparently, especially in debates surrounding the return of Nazi-looted art.
According to Bavaria's Arts Minister Markus Blume of the Christian Social Union, the State Painting Collections have entered more than 200 works into the Lost Art database since February. Former owners and their heirs can search this database for stolen art objects to reclaim them. The collection had been criticized for registering far too few of their works with suspected looted art provenance.
"With the return of these four works, we cannot heal the cruel injustice done to the owners. But we can attempt to make amends toward the victims and send a signal: We are working intensively on processing Nazi injustices – since this spring with more speed, more transparency, and more results," stated Minister Blume. Interim Director Biebl emphasized that "the return of the four paintings is another important step for us to continue processing our collection history. We take the responsibility for thorough provenance research very seriously."
