August 26, 2021 (Updated September 30, 2021), by Colin Moynihan – Excerpt
“The mayor of Amsterdam announced on Thursday that she had begun discussions to turn over a painting by the Russian abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky to the heirs of a Jewish couple who had owned the work before the Nazi takeover of the Netherlands.”
“The work, “Painting With Houses,” was acquired during an auction in 1940 by David Röell, director of the Stedelijk Museum, which is responsible for the City of Amsterdam’s present-day art collection of about 95,000 works.”
“Though it is unclear who decided to sell the painting, the auction took place just months after the Nazi invasion and the Stedelijk has acknowledged it is “possible that this had been an involuntary sale.””
“Heirs asked for the return of the work several years ago, arguing that the sale was motivated by Nazi persecution. But in 2018 the Dutch Restitutions Commission, a national panel that handles claims of Nazi looting, said that the painting could remain with the museum. A court later upheld that decision. More recently, however, a committee convened by the Dutch minister of culture advocated a new approach in handling restitution requests.”
“In announcing the discussions Thursday in a letter, the mayor, Femke Halsema, and the city’s alderman for art and culture, Touria Meliani, cited the importance of righting wrongs, according to a translation provided to The New York Times.”
“A return of the painting would be contingent upon the approval of Amsterdam’s City Council, said two people involved in the discussions over the Kandinsky. James Palmer of the Mondex Corporation, which is assisting the heirs, said his understanding was that after the mayor and heirs reach an agreement, its terms would be sent to the council for review.”
This is an excerpt from this New York Times article. Full article through this link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/26/arts/design/amsterdam-mayor-jewish-heirs-kandinsky.html?searchResultPosition=25
