Der Standard, July, 29th 2024
See english translation below
20240729 - Der Standard re Seated Nude (1918)The Artnews Newspaper, July 26th 2024
20240726 - Atrt Newspaper another Schiele work returned to the heirs of Fritz GrünbaumSeven important works of art by Egon Schiele were ceremoniously handed over to the heirs of Viennese cabaret artist Fritz Grünbaum on September 22nd, 2023. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office calls the act a crucial milestone in one of the longest-running Holocaust restitution cases in the art world.
The ceremony to return the artworks to the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum, who was murdered in the Dachau concentration camp in 1941, took place in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, in whose jurisdiction the case lies.
Find the Press release:
Here in German / Here in English
Please find the English version here
Klage gegen die Republik Österreich wurde in New York eingereicht. Werden die Albertina und das Leopoldmuseum dem Beispiel der amerikanischen Museen folgen und freiwillig 12 Bilder
restituieren?
Wien/New York (OTS) – Sieben bedeutende Kunstwerke Egon Schieles wurden am Mittwochnachmittag feierlich an die Erben des Wiener Kabarettisten Fritz Grünbaum übergeben. Die Staatsanwaltschaft Manhattan bezeichnet diesen Akt als einen entscheidenden Meilenstein in einem der längsten Holocaust-Restitutionsfälle in der Kunstwelt.
Die Zeremonie zur Rückgabe der Kunstwerke an die Erben von Fritz Grünbaum, der 1941 im Konzentrationslager Dachau ermordet wurde, fand im Büro des Bezirksstaatsanwalts von Manhattan, Alvin L. Bragg, statt, in dessen Zuständigkeit der Fall liegt.
“Dies ist von enormer Bedeutung in unserer Welt”, betonte Timothy Reif, einer der Grünbaum-Erben, und verwies auf die Nachkommen von Holocaust-Opfern, die seit fast 80 Jahren die Rückgabe geraubten Eigentums fordern. “Es gibt den Ton und die Tagesordnung für alle künftigen Fälle vor. Seit mehr als einem Vierteljahrhundert kämpfen die Grünbaum-Erben um die Rückgabe verschiedener Schiele-Werke. Diese Forderungen, die zu Zivilklagen vor Gerichten geführt haben, werden in der Kunstwelt aufmerksam verfolgt.”
Die Staatsanwaltschaft von Manhattan nahm den Fall im Dezember 2022 auf, nachdem ein New Yorker Zivilgericht 2018 entschieden hatte, dass Fritz Grünbaum keines seiner Werke vor seinem Tod verkauft oder zurückgegeben hatte, was bedeutete, dass seine Erben die legitimen Eigentümer waren. Die Staatsanwälte konnten Beweise dafür vorlegen, dass die sieben Werke durch die Hände eines Händlers in Manhattan gegangen waren, wodurch sie rechtliche Zuständigkeit beanspruchten. Diesmal war jedoch etwas anders: Mehrere Museen und Sammler, die von der Staatsanwaltschaft kontaktiert wurden, stimmten zu, die Schiele-Werke an die Erben zurückzugeben, nachdem ihnen mitgeteilt wurde, dass sie gestohlenes Eigentum besaßen.
Die sieben freiwillig zurückgegebenen Werke befanden sich im Besitz von drei Museen – dem Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), der Morgan Library & Museum, beide in New York, sowie dem Santa Barbara Museum of Art in Kalifornien – sowie von zwei Sammlern, Ronald S. Lauder, dem Präsidenten des Jüdischen Weltkongresses und langjährigen Befürworter der Holocaust-Restitution, sowie dem Nachlass von Serge Sabarsky, einem bekannten Kunstsammler. Ein achtes Werk aus dem Nachlass von Sabarsky wurde zuvor bereits an die Erben zurückgegeben.
“Fritz Grünbaum war ein Mann von unglaublicher Tiefe und Geist, und sein Andenken lebt durch die Kunstwerke weiter, die nun endlich an seine Verwandten zurückgegeben werden“, sagte Bragg in einer Erklärung. “Ich hoffe, dass dieser Moment als Erinnerung daran dienen kann, dass es trotz des schrecklichen Todes und der Zerstörung durch die Nazis nie zu spät ist, etwas von dem wiederzuerlangen, was verloren wurde.”
Damit ist auch die Problematik der im Besitz der österreichischen Museen Albertina und Sammlung Leopold befindlichen Bilder aus der Sammlung Grünbaum wieder ins Zentrum der Restitutionspolitik gerückt.
Die Erben von Fritz Grünbaum haben beim Southern District Court in New York Klage gegen das Leopold Museum, die Albertina und deren rechtlichen bzw. faktischen Eigentümer, die Republik Österreich, auf Feststellung des Eigentums und Herausgabe der folgenden Werke von Egon Schiele eingebracht:
1. Tote Stadt III (1911) (P.213)
2. Selbstbildnis mit Fratze (1910) (D.705)
3. Stehender Mann mit rotem Schal (1913) (D.1420)
4. Rote Bluse (1913) (D.1394)
5. Umarmende Akte (1914) (D.1606)
6. Verschlungene Akte (1912) (D.1147)
7. Sitzendes Mädchen mit gelbem Tuch (1913) (D.1278)
8. Hingabe (1912) (D.1418)
9. Stehendes Mädchen mit orangefarbenen Strümpfen (1914) (D.1488)
10. Selbstbildnis als Büßer (1911) (D.942)
11. Tante und Neffe (1915) (D.1797)
12. Sitzender weiblicher Akt auf rotem Tuch (1914) (D.1504)
Der österreichische Vertreter der Erben nach Fritz Grünbaum, Herbert Gruber, meint dazu:
“Erstaunlich ist in diesem Zusammenhang, dass keiner der Beklagtenvertreter mit den Vertretern der Erben von Fritz Grünbaum in irgendeiner Form Kontakt aufgenommen hat, um eine außergerichtliche Lösung zu finden. Die Republik Österreich beauftragte einen der teuersten Anwälte New Yorks mit einem Stundenhonorar von jedenfalls USD 2000, und dies trotz der desaströsen Ergebnisse in Raubkunstfällen wie Klimts „Das Bildnis Adele Bloch-Bauer I“, auch „Goldene Adele“ genannt.”
Pressekit (Klage, Fotos, diverse Presseaussendungen)
Rückfragehinweis:
Österreichischer Rechtsvertreter der Erben nach Fritz Grünbaum:
Mag. Michael Pilz
Telefon: +43 (0)1 406 05 51
Email: michael.pilz@jus.at
Amerikanischer Rechtsvertreter der Erben nach Fritz Grünbaum:
Raymond J. Dowd
Telefon: +1 212 682 8811
Email: rdowd@dunnington.com
Hier finden sie die deutsche Version
Lawsuit against the Republic of Austria has been filed in New York. Will the Albertina and the Leopoldmuseum follow the example of the American museums and voluntarily restitute 12 paintings?
Vienna/New York (OTS) – Seven important works of art by Egon Schiele were ceremoniously handed over to the heirs of Viennese cabaret artist Fritz Grünbaum on Wednesday afternoon. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office calls the act a crucial milestone in one of the longest-running Holocaust restitution cases in the art world.
The ceremony to return the artworks to the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum, who was murdered in the Dachau concentration camp in 1941, took place in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, in whose jurisdiction the case lies.
“This is of enormous importance in our world,” stressed Timothy Reif, one of the Grünbaum heirs, referring to the descendants of Holocaust victims who have been demanding the return of looted property for nearly 80 years. “It sets the tone and agenda for all future cases. For more than a quarter of a century, the Grünbaum heirs have been fighting for the return of various Schiele works. These demands, which have led to civil suits in the courts, are closely followed in the art world.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office took up the case in December 2022 after a New York civil court ruled in 2018 that Fritz Grünbaum had not sold or returned any of his works before his death, meaning his heirs were the legitimate owners. Prosecutors were able to present evidence that the seven works had passed through the hands of a Manhattan dealer, claiming legal jurisdiction. This time, however, was different: several museums and collectors contacted by prosecutors agreed to return the Schiele works to the heirs after being told they had stolen property.
The seven works voluntarily returned were owned by three museums – the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Morgan Library & Museum, both in New York, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California – as well as two collectors, Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress and a longtime advocate of Holocaust restitution, and the estate of Serge Sabarsky, a well-known art collector. An eighth work from Sabarsky’s estate was previously returned to his heirs.
“Fritz Grünbaum was a man of incredible depth and spirit, and his memory lives on through the artwork that is finally being returned to his relatives,” Bragg said in a statement. “I hope this moment can serve as a reminder that despite the horrific death and destruction at the hands of the Nazis, it’s never too late to recover some of what was lost.”
This has also brought the issue of the paintings from the Grünbaum Collection held by the Austrian museums Albertina and Leopold Collection back to the center of restitution policy.
The heirs of Fritz Grünbaum have brought suit in the Southern District Court in New York against the Leopold Museum, the Albertina, and their legal or de facto owner, the Republic of Austria, for a declaration of ownership and restitution of the following works by Egon Schiele:
1. Dead city III (1911) (P.213)
2. Self-portrait with grimace (1910) (D.705)
3. Standing man with red scarf (1913) (D.1420)
4. Red blouse (1913) (D.1394)
5. Embracing nudes (1914) (D.1606)
6. Intertwined nudes (1912) (D.1147)
7. Seated girl with yellow cloth (1913) (D.1278)
8. Devotion (1912) (D.1418)
9. Standing girl with orange stockings (1914) (D.1488)
10. Self-portrait as penitent (1911) (D.942)
11. Aunt and nephew (1915) (D.1797)
12. Seated female nude on red cloth (1914) (D.1504)
The Austrian representative of the heirs after Fritz Grünbaum, Herbert Gruber, comments:
“It is astonishing in this context that none of the defendants’ representatives contacted the representatives of the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum in any form to find an out-of-court solution. The Republic of Austria hired one of the most expensive lawyers in New York with an hourly fee of USD 2000 in any case, and this despite the disastrous results in looted art cases such as Klimt’s “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I”, also called “Golden Adele”.”
Enquiries:
Austrian legal representative of the heirs after Fritz Grünbaum:
Mag. Michael Pilz
Telephone: +43 (0)1 406 05 51
Email: michael.pilz@jus.at
American legal representative of the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum:
Raymond J. Dowd
Phone: +1 212 682 8811
Email: rdowd@dunnington.com
Find more information about the artworks in Austria here (PDF) and find a full, searchable database of the lost collection here.
NEW YORK, NY – Today, in a landmark decision by Justice Charles E. Ramos, the heirs of Holocaust victim Fritz Grunbaum were awarded title to two Nazi-looted artworks, Woman in a Black Pinafore and Woman Hiding her Face, by the artist Egon Schiele. The case, Reif vs. Nagy, has been winding its way through the courts since November 2015 when attorney Raymond Dowd requested the artworks be returned to Grunbaum’s heirs, including Timothy Reif, after they were discovered in Mr. Nagy’s booth at the Salon Art + Design Show at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City.
“This is an important victory in what is probably the most important art case of the late 20th century,” said Attorney Raymond Dowd, partner at Dunnington, Bartholow, & Miller LLP. “It is a victory for Holocaust victims, their families, and all those who fought and died to undo the evils of Nazism. This decision brought us a step closer to recovering all of the culture that was stolen during the largest mass-theft in history which, until now, has been overshadowed by history’s largest mass-murder.”
Fritz Grünbaum, an Austrian-Jewish songwriter, director, actor, and master of ceremonies who openly mocked Hitler, performed musicals and plays for his fellow prisoners in the Dachau concentration camp until 1941, when he died penniless in captivity. His extensive collection, totaling 450 pieces, 80 of which were Schiele artworks, was looted in its entirety by Nazi agents in 1938. The two Schiele paintings in question have been housed in a fine art storage facility in Queens, NY since court proceedings began in 2015.
“Today, my family has regained a part of its history that was stolen by the Nazi Regime. We are overjoyed and thankful that Justice Ramos has helped us protect the legacy of Fritz Grunbaum, who was a performer of exceptional courage and talent, and realized the moral and legal importance of returning Nazi-looted art to its rightful heirs,” said Timothy Reif, executor and heir to the Grunbaum estate. “These paintings help us remember and honor the lives of those we love and help us preserve Jewish culture that the Nazi’s tried so hard to destroy.”
Despite defendant Richard Nagy’s best efforts to argue that the case fell outside of the statute of limitations that one can claim stolen art, and that the HEAR Act did not apply to this case, Judge Ramos adamantly disagreed. Justice Ramos explains in the decision, “Although defendants argue that the HEAR Act is inapplicable, this argument is absurd, as the act is intended to apply to cases precisely like this one, where Nazi-looted art is at issue. Since plaintiffs discovered the Artworks in November of 2015, their action is timely under the HEAR Act.”
Grunbaum’s art collection grabbed international headlines in 1998 when New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau seized Egon Schiele’s Dead City from New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The Morgenthau seizure made Grunbaum’s estate a cause celebre leading to changes in the way Austria and other European countries process claims involving art looted from Holocaust victims. Justice Ramos’ decision has ended a controversy that has raged since the 1998 Morgenthau seizure and provided justice for Holocaust victims and their heirs.
Full decision attached.
161799_2015_Timothy_Reif_et_al_v_Richard_Nagy_et_al_DECISION___ORDER_ON_288
Charting a New Course | ARTnews.
“ . . . I think we should come to terms with history.” And, he adds, “Nowadays, I don’t think a museum can afford not to approach this in a proactive and positive manner. What I think sets me apart from many other people of the same positive approach is that I think the best way to deal with it is to talk and to come to a mutually positive conclusion…”
(Diethard Leopold, Son of Rudolf Leopold)
We are very happy about Diethard Leopolds will to return looted artworks and therefore want to be of help in his efforts.
We kindly remind the Leopold Museum Privatstiftung of the claim for restitution regarding the collection Fritz Grünbaum, unanswered since February 15, 2011:
2011 02 15 Claim Leopoldmuseum (German only)
[scribd id=106133836 key=key-27gtplnzeunjihu3t2ji mode=scroll]
For the 15 Drawings & paintings from the Collection Grünbaum find details here
So, as stated by Diethard Leopold:
“. . . That’s why I say let’s get together and speak, …”
We are waiting for his reply!
Wir wünschen Ihnen ein schönes und erfolgreiches Neues Jahr !
Den Erben von Fritz Grünbaum wünschen wir, dass die zuständigen Stellen zumindest auf Schreiben antworten.
Die Leopold Museum Privatstiftung und Mag. Dr. Sonja Niederacher, Provenienzforschung bm:ukk-lmp im Leopold Museum im MQ ließen dieses Minimum an Hochachtung vermissen.
[scribd id=76780701 key=key-1en2uiq4oumq0s98ny0e mode=list] Unbeantwortete Schreiben an das Leopoldmuseum
[scribd id=76782735 key=key-1f87ievq6kjy3rfk3fav mode=list]Unbeantwortetes Schreiben an Mag. Dr. Niederacher
Weiters wünschen wir den Erbe, dass das Verfahren auf Restitution der beiden Werke Egon Schieles aus der Sammlung Fritz Günbaums die in der Albertina nach einer Schenkung von Erich Lederer verwahrt werden, nach mehr als 12- jähriger Dauer positiv abgeschlossen wird.
We wish you a happy and successful New Year!
We wish to the heirs of Fritz Grunbaum that the competent authorities at least respond to letters.
The Leopold Museum Privatstiftung and Mag. Dr. Sonja Niederacher, provenanceresearcher at the Leopold Museum missed to show this modicum of respect for the heirs.
Furthermore we wish the heirs to get back the two paintings, which are deposed at the Albertina, after 12 years of formal procedure.
