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A longstanding art dispute, which has been overshadowed by the dark specter of the Third Reich, is set to reach a pivotal resolution. Six drawings by the prominent figure of Austrian expressionism, Egon Schiele, which were illicitly taken from a Jewish collector by the Nazis, are slated to go under the hammer next month in New York.

The artworks in focus once belonged to Fritz Grünbaum, an Austrian cabaret artist and fervent art enthusiast. Arrested in 1938 and subsequently deported to the Dachau concentration camp, Grünbaum was coerced, under duress, into signing a power of attorney over to his wife, Elisabeth. She was later forced to surrender the invaluable collection to Nazi officials, only to later face a similarly tragic fate as her husband at the Maly Trostinec camp near Minsk.

Christie’s, the renowned auction house, has confirmed that three of these pieces, primarily watercolors, will be auctioned on November 9. The remaining three will follow on November 11, fitting into the traditional autumn auctions in New York. Among these invaluable artworks, one is estimated at a staggering USD2.5 million.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York’s esteemed cultural institution, has also returned a seventh piece titled “Girl Putting on a Shoe” from 1910. This artwork was privately sold to a collector known for their support and acknowledgment of the Holocaust’s victims, as stated by Raymond Dowd, the attorney representing Grünbaum’s heirs in New York.

The tumultuous journey to reclaim these artworks was fraught with challenges. Despite facing numerous setbacks in US courts, the enactment of the “Hear Act” in 2016 marked a decisive turning point. Recognizing the unique circumstances of Nazi-era lootings, this legislation deemed a “signature made under gunpoint” as void. Consequently, two artworks were returned in 2018. Following this legal triumph, the heirs initiated further actions, recently reclaiming two additional Schiele pieces from the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Allen Memorial Art Museum.

This act of restitution signifies a crucial chapter in acknowledging the injustices endured by the Shoah victims and in mending the cultural heritage stolen during the grim epoch of Nazism.

With AFP