A Russian historian suggests UNESCO should investigate Bavaria’s handling of potentially Nazi-looted art, alleging a cover-up to avoid returning the works.
Russian historian Ilya Altman has suggested that UNESCO should oversee the investigation into the controversy surrounding Nazi-looted art in Bavaria, following reports that the German state concealed information about the provenance of nearly 1,000 artworks, as reported by RT.
Altman’s comments are in response to a Sueddeutsche Zeitung report alleging that the Bavarian State Painting Collections (BStGS) deliberately hid information regarding the origins of at least 1,000 artworks to prevent restitution claims.
The report, citing internal documents, indicated that 200 pieces, including works by Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso, were marked ‘red,’ signifying confirmed Nazi loot primarily taken from Jewish owners during World War II. Another 800 were labeled ‘orange,’ indicating suspected looting. Despite the assessment’s completion in 2020, the report claimed no effort had been made to return the works. The article also claimed that Munich museums have only restituted 24 pieces since Germany signed the Washington Principles in 1998, which pledged to restore Nazi-looted art.
The BStGS has refuted the allegations; however, German Culture Minister Claudia Roth has ordered an investigation, and Bavaria’s Arts and Science Minister, Markus Blume, has promised to create an independent task force to determine if the BStGS intentionally concealed the provenance of the artworks.
Altman, who is the co-chairman of the Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Center in Moscow, stated that the authorities’ acknowledgment of the report suggests a significant problem with Nazi-looted art restitution at the BStGS.
“The fact that the German Culture Minister has acknowledged the issue and promised an investigation indicates a recognition of the severity of the situation and that the questionable behavior of museum staff cannot go unpunished,” he told RT on Friday.
The historian, who has experience in restitution cases involving Holocaust survivors, cautioned that the problem may be more extensive than reported, as stolen artworks are sometimes intentionally hidden in storage to prevent their return.
Altman emphasized that restitution is “a question of historical justice,” but noted that bureaucratic obstacles in various countries complicate the process of claiming stolen artworks decades after they were taken. He added that in previous restitution cases, German authorities were often uncooperative, demanding unreasonable evidence, such as the names of the Nazi soldiers who seized the items.
“We know very well that parting with artworks that form the pride of a collection is very difficult,” he stated, implying that some institutions intentionally delay the process. Altman suggested that UNESCO, the UN’s science and culture agency, should investigate the BStGS case.
“This issue should be addressed by UNESCO… to ensure that this painful legacy of the Nazi past is eliminated and justice prevails,” he concluded.
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