We never cease to be amazed by the circuitous, often tortured routes items that come to us and other collectors often take. This came home to us again this week after three distinctive paintings, mainstays of the art collection on display at William Randolph Hearst's famed "Castle," turned out to have been acquired during a coerced sale of Jewish assets by Nazi "buyers."
The paintings are being returned to the family of two Holocaust survivors and, oh, what they have seen in their lives.
Investigators determined the paintings belong to the heirs of Jacob and Rosa Oppenheimer. They were deeded to the state of California by the Hearst Corporation in 1972 as part of the transfer of the Castle to the state park system.
William Randolph Hearst, who didn't know the ownership history, acquired the paintings from a Berlin gallery in 1935.
1 comment:
You can't help but wonder how much looted art is still hanging on peoples walls. Interesting story
Post a Comment