Category: News about the Case

Fritz Gruenbaum’s Egon Schiele Works on Paper in Christie´s 20th Century Evening Sale

 

PRESS RELEASE | NEW YORK |

IMPORTANT EGON SCHIELE WORKS ON PAPER IN 20TH CENTURY EVENING SALE

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE VIENNESE CABARET AND FILM STAR, FRITZ GRÜNBAUM

 LIVE AUCTION: 17 NOVEMBER 2022 at Rockefeller Center

Property from the Collection of the Viennese Cabaret and

Film Star Fritz Grünbaum

EGON SCHIELE (1890-1918)

Frau, das Gesicht verbergend

signed and dated ‘EGON SCHIELE 1912’.

gouache, watercolor and pencil on paper

12 ¼ x 18 ⅞ in. (31.5 x 48 cm.)

Executed in 1912

Estimate: $1,500,00-2,000,000

 Property from the Collection of the Viennese Cabaret and

Film Star Fritz Grünbaum

EGON SCHIELE (1890-1918)

Frau mit schwarzer Schürze (recto); Studie fur Frau (verso)

signed and dated ‘EGON SCHIELE 1911.’ (center right; recto)

gouache, watercolor and pencil on paper (recto); pencil on paper (verso)

19 ⅛ x 12 ¾ in. (48.5 x 32.2 cm.)

Executed in 1911

Estimate: $500,00-800,000

New York— Christie’s is honored to include two important works on paper by Egon Schiele – formerly in the collection of the Viennese cabaret and film star Fritz Grünbaum – in the 20th Century Evening Sale taking place live on 17 November 2022 at Rockefeller Center. These two works trace Schiele’s development during 1911-1912, two crucial years in his brief career. The works were part of the collection numbering in the hundreds of works that Fritz Grünbaum – said to be the inspiration for Joel Gray’s character in the Broadway musical Cabaret – assembled in Vienna in the first decades of the last century. The collection was lost when the Nazis invaded Austria in the late 1930s, and both Mr. Grünbaum and his wife were sent to concentration camps where they perished. These two works were recently restituted to the Grünbaum family.

Frau, das Gesicht verbergend (estimate: $1,500,00-2,000,000)

Created in 1912, this work is notable for the unusual viewpoint and suggestively intimate pose of the sitter, and focuses on the sinuous form of the model as she twists on to her side and begins to remove her clothing under the artist’s watchful gaze. Although the sitter’s identity remains a mystery, her face hidden under the crook of her arm as she moves, the wild tangle of black hair falling loosely in a cloud around her is reminiscent of a series of portraits Schiele created of the bohemian dancer and mime artist Moa. Rejecting the traditional idealization of the female nude, and including the blemishes and anatomical quirks which marked the model’s body, this work captures the explosive modernity of Schiele’s vision during this period.

Frau mit schwarzer Schürze (estimate: $500,00-800,000)

Executed in delicate layers of pigment, Frau mit Schwarzer Schürze reveals Schiele’s growing confidence in the use of watercolor during the latter half of 1911. His art had undergone a dramatic transformation over the course of the previous year, shifting away from the bold, jagged, angular lines that had previously dominated his oeuvre to explore a softer, more delicate approach to form. In this work, Schiele allows the washes of color to bleed over the contours of his pencil drawing underneath, lending the outline of the figure a more rounded, organic character. Retaining a sense of the fluidity of the paint and the bold movements of the artist’s paintbrush as it danced across the page, Schiele plays with the sheer liquidity of the watercolor, limiting the flow of the pigment by adding a subtle white “halo” around the edges of the young girl’s body.

Vanessa Fusco, Head of Impressionist & Modern Art and Head of 20th Evening Sale, said: “These two exquisite works by Schiele display the daring nature of his ground-breaking studies of the female figure, an artistic obsession which occupied him throughout his short-lived career. Through his exacting and unforgiving investigation of the female body, the artist challenges and subverts the conservative veneer of contemporary Viennese society, revealing the latent erotic charge that existed just below its surface. This underlying tension, coupled with Schiele’s incredible command of his media, give these works a timeless quality that account for their enduring desirability and relevance.”

 

The Legacy of Fritz Grünbaum

Born Franz Friedrich Grünbaum in April 1880, Fritz Grünbaum was a celebrated cabaret performer, writer, actor and outspoken opponent of Nazism, active in Vienna during the early twentieth century. He studied law before turning to performance and cabaret, and enjoyed a highly successful and varied theatrical career, which included performances at the famous Viennese theatre Simpl, as well as roles in several early films. Alongside his work as a performer, Grünbaum held a life-long passion for art, shaped by his father Wilhelm’s activities as a dealer in the city of Brno (Brünn), and he built up a diverse personal collection which ranged from Russian icons and etchings by Old Masters such as Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt, to Post-Impressionist and Modern drawings and watercolors by August Rodin, Camille Pissarro, Paul Signac, Max Liebermann, Käthe Kollwitz, and others.

However, it was compositions by the Viennese avant-garde of the early twentieth century and, in particular, the works of Egon Schiele that captured Grünbaum’s imagination. Over the course of his life, he purchased over 80 works by the artist, spanning the full range of Schiele’s creative output, from delicate pencil portraits and nude studies executed in gouache or watercolor, to striking, melancholic landscapes and mysterious allegorical subjects in oil.

Shortly after the German annexation of Austria in 1938, Grünbaum was arrested by the Gestapo and subsequently interned at Dachau concentration camp in June 1938, where he perished in January of 1941, after having also spent some time incarcerated in Buchenwald. His art collection, which numbered over 400 works at the time of his arrest, was lost following his wife Lilly’s deportation to the Maly Trostenets concentration camp near Minsk in October 1942, where she was murdered soon after her arrival. Frau, das Gesicht verbergend and Frau mit schwarzer Schürze were recently restituted to the Grünbaum family after years spent fighting for their return.

 

Richard Aronowitz, Christie’s Global Head of Restitution, said: “It is always deeply humbling to come face-to-face with works of art that were once owned by those people who went on to become victims of the Holocaust. These cherished items speak to us of lives lived and lost. Such is the case here with these two fine watercolor compositions by Egon Schiele: they stand as an abiding, unerasable testament to Fritz Grünbaum’s taste as a collector and to Egon Schiele at the height of his artistic powers.”

 

Christie’s has the largest and most experienced Restitution team of any international auction house, underscoring our responsibility to this field. Located in New York, London, Berlin, Brussels and Vienna, our researchers have a century of combined years of experience. We have made Nazi-era provenance research a hallmark of our expertise.

 

Images for press use available  HERE.

PRESS CONTACT:

Edward Lewine | elewine@christies.com | 212 636 2680

 

About Christie’s

Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business. Renowned and trusted for its expert live and online auctions, as well as its bespoke private sales, Christie’s offers a full portfolio of global services to its clients, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education.  Christie’s has a physical presence in 46 countries, throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, with flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. It also is the only international auction house authorized to hold sales in mainland China (Shanghai).

Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $200 to over $100 million. In recent years, Christie’s has achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction (Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvador Mundi, 2017), for a single collection sale (the Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller, 2018), and for a work by a living artist (Jeff Koons’ Rabbit, 2019).

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Press release: Christie´s and the family of Fritz Grünbaum agree to the sale of two important works by Egon Schiele

German Version below

CHRISTIE’S AND THE FAMILY OF FRITZ GRÜNBAUM AGREE TO THE SALE OF TWO IMPORTANT WORKS BY EGON SCHIELE

Christie’s is honored to announce that the family and heirs of the renowned performer, composer, and art collector Fritz Grünbaum have entrusted Christie’s with the sale of two important works on paper by Egon Schiele, which will be included in Christie’s Evening sale of 20th Century Art in New York this November. These two exceptional watercolors were part of the collection numbering in the hundreds of works that Fritz Grünbaum – said to be the inspiration for Joel Grey’s character in the Broadway musical Cabaret – assembled in Vienna in the first decades of the last century. The collection was lost when the Nazis invaded Austria in the late 1930s, and both Mr. Grünbaum and his wife were sent to concentration camps where they perished. Christie’s and the Grünbaum family hope this sale will offer an opportunity to celebrate the life, art, and genius of Fritz Grünbaum.
Richard Aronowitz, Christie’s Global Head of Restitution, said: “It has been a privilege to work with the Grünbaum heirs and I want to thank them for giving us the opportunity to offer these extraordinary Egon Schiele drawings. We look forward to sharing these works with the world, and to introducing a new generation to Fritz Grünbaum, a renowned performer who was also a renowned collector.”
Raymond J. Dowd, Esq., who is representing the Grünbaum heirs, said: “I want to thank Christie’s for the expertise, professionalism, and personal care they have shown throughout this process. I am confident that we have placed the legacy of Fritz Grünbaum and the trust of his family in the best hands in the business.”
Christie’s has the largest and most experienced Restitution team of any international auction house, underscoring our responsibility to this field. Located in New York, London, Berlin, and Vienna, our researchers have a century of combined years of experience. We have made Nazi-era provenance research a hallmark of our expertise.

CHRISTIE’S UND DIE FAMILIE VON FRITZ GRÜNBAUM VEREINBAREN DEN VERKAUF VON ZWEI WICHTIGEN WERKEN VON EGON SCHIELE

Christie’s freut sich, bekannt geben zu können, dass die Familie und die Erben des berühmten Künstlers, Komponisten und Kunstsammlers Fritz Grünbaum Christie’s mit dem Verkauf von zwei bedeutenden Papierarbeiten von Egon Schiele beauftragt haben, die in der Christie’s Evening Sale of 20th Century Art in New York diesen November angeboten werden. Diese beiden außergewöhnlichen Aquarelle gehörten zu der Hunderte von Werken umfassenden Sammlung, die Fritz Grünbaum – der als Inspiration für die Figur des Joel Grey im Broadway-Musical Cabaret gilt – in den ersten Jahrzehnten des letzten Jahrhunderts in Wien zusammengetragen hatte. Die Sammlung ging verloren, als die Nazis in den späten 1930er Jahren in Österreich einmarschierten, und sowohl Herr Grünbaum als auch seine Frau wurden in Konzentrationslager geschickt, wo sie umkamen. Christie’s und die Familie Grünbaum hoffen, dass dieser Verkauf eine Gelegenheit bietet, das Leben, die Kunst und das Genie von Fritz Grünbaum zu feiern.
Richard Aronowitz, Christie’s Global Head of Restitution, sagte: “Es war ein Privileg, mit den Grünbaum-Erben zusammenzuarbeiten, und ich möchte ihnen dafür danken, dass sie uns die Möglichkeit gegeben haben, diese außergewöhnlichen Egon Schiele-Zeichnungen anzubieten. Wir freuen uns darauf, diese Werke mit der Welt zu teilen und eine neue Generation mit Fritz Grünbaum bekannt zu machen, einem berühmten Künstler, der auch ein renommierter Sammler war.”
Raymond J. Dowd, Esq., der die Grünbaum-Erben vertritt, sagte: “Ich möchte Christie’s für das Fachwissen, die Professionalität und die persönliche Betreuung danken, die sie während dieses Prozesses gezeigt haben. Ich bin zuversichtlich, dass wir das Erbe von Fritz Grünbaum und das Vertrauen seiner Familie in die besten Hände der Branche gelegt haben.”
Christie’s verfügt über das größte und erfahrenste Restitutions-Team aller internationalen Auktionshäuser, was unsere Verantwortung in diesem Bereich unterstreicht. Unsere Forscher in New York, London, Berlin und Wien verfügen zusammen über ein Jahrhundert an Erfahrung. Wir haben die Provenienzforschung in der Nazizeit zu einem Markenzeichen unserer Expertise gemacht.

The View of the Others / Die Meinung der Anderen: Priscilla DeGregory, New York Post

Heirs of Nazi-looted paintings can proceed with auction after legal battle ends

May 31, 20226:39pm

"Woman Hiding her Face" by Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele

A nearly seven-year-long legal battle over two paintings stolen by the Nazis has finally come to an end after an art dealer lost his bid to appeal, freeing the heirs of the works to put them up for auction.

The artworks, “Woman Hiding her Face” and “Woman in Black Pinafore” by Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele, are expected to go under the hammer at Christie’s in the fall.

Timonthy Reif and David Fraenkel, the owners, sued London-based dealer Richard Nagy in 2015 for the return of the paintings.

They argued that their ancestor, Austrian Holocaust victim Fritz Grunbaum, had been forced to hand over the works — and the rest of his $5 million collection of paintings — to the Nazis.

Grunbaum, a Jewish cabaret performer, was then sent to the Dachau concentration camp, where he was killed in 1941.

His heirs filed suit after learning the Schiele paintings ended up in Nagy’s hands decades later — and that the dealer had put them up for sale at the Park Avenue Armory.

Reif and Fraenkel said they had proof that their ancestor had been forced to sign a document giving up his precious collection. Read more

The View of the Others / Die Meinung der Anderen: Oliver Meier, SRF 2

English Version below

Radio SRF 2 Kultur, Kultur-Aktualität, 30.05.2022, 17:10 Uhr, Oliver Meier

Sammlung Grünbaum Dieses Raubkunst-Urteil setzt die Museen unter Druck

Seit langem wird über die Schiele-Sammlung des jüdischen Kabarettisten Fritz Grünbaum gestritten, der im Konzentrationslager Dachau starb. Nun erhalten die Nachkommen zwei Werke zurück, die in Bern gehandelt wurden. Ein erstaunlicher Entscheid.

Über 400 Werke hat der Kabarettist Fritz Grünbaum in seinem Leben gesammelt. Er war bis zum Auftrittsverbot für jüdische Künstler 1938 eine Grösse in der Wiener Theaterwelt, gerühmt für seinen selbstironischen Humor. Als es bei einem seiner letzten Auftritte zu einem Stromausfall kam, soll er gescherzt haben: «Ich sehe nichts, absolut gar nichts, da muss ich mich in die nationalsozialistische Kultur verirrt haben.»

Read more

UPDATE—New York Court Awards Statutory Prejudgment Interest to Grünbaum Estate’s Heirs

For those who believe that one today is worth two tomorrows, prejudgment interest offers a significant judicial remedy.
In an unprecedented holding on July 12, 2021, the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court, County of
New York, applied the prejudgment rule in favor of the rightful owners of two Egon Schiele paintings. In a case involving
family property, monetary interest can hardly compensate for time spent apart from a cherished heirloom. Still, the
court’s decision could bring heirs at least somewhat closer to recovering for the loss suffered.

German version below

20210813 - UPDATE—New York Court Awards Statutory Prejudgment Interest to Grünbaum Estate’s Heirs HHR Art Law_english
 20210813 - UPDATE—New York Court Awards Statutory Prejudgment Interest to Grünbaum Estate’s Heirs HHR Art Law_german

 

In the News: In Nazi-Looted Art Case, Judge Rules Prejudgment Interest Owed by Wrongful Possessor Who Continued to Litigate

“This is a monumental sea change,” said Raymond Dowd, the lawyer for Jewish heirs, of the Manhattan Supreme Court-issued decision on prejudgment interest. “An art dealer or a museum refusing to stop now has a meaningful _financial downside,” he said, when they continue to litigate cases in which a trial court has already awarded possession of Nazi-looted art back to the family or heirs of a Jewish person who’d rightfully owned the artwork before Nazis took it away.

“Das ist eine dramatische Veränderung”, sagte Raymond Dowd, der Anwalt der jüdischen Erben, über die Entscheidung des Obersten Gerichtshofs von Manhattan zu den Vorfälligkeitszinsen. “Ein Kunsthändler oder ein Museum, das sich weigert, damit aufzuhören, hat jetzt einen bedeutenden finanziellen Nachteil”, sagte er, wenn sie weiterhin Fälle prozessieren, in denen ein Gericht den Besitz von NS-Raubkunst bereits der Familie oder den Erben einer jüdischen Person zugesprochen hat, die das Kunstwerk rechtmäßig besessen hatte, bevor die Nazis es wegnahmen.

In Nazi-Looted Art Case Judge Rules Prejudgment Interest Owed by Wrongful Possessor Who Continued to Litigate _ New York Law Journal_epdf
 In Nazi-Looted Art Case Judge Rules Prejudgment Interest Owed by Wrongful Possessor Who Continued to Litigate _ New York Law Journal

Download the article also from: https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2021/07/15/in-nazi-looted-art-case-judge-rules-prejudgment-interest-owed-by-wrongful-possessor-who-continued-to-litigate/

UPDATE – Dispute over Ownership of Nazi Victim’s Art Turns to Pre-judgment Interest

Following the New York Appellate Division’s affirmance of the New York State Supreme Court’s decision in Reif v. Nagy ordering the turnover of two works of art transferred under duress, if not stolen, following the Nazi takeover of Austria to the heirs of their original Jewish owner, Fritz Grünbaum,[1] the dispute has turned to the increasingly significant issue of pre-judgment interest.

20210115 UPDATE – Dispute over Ownership of Nazi Victim’s Art Turns to Pre-judgment Interest _ HHR Art Law

 

Finden Sie hier die deutsche Übersetzung:

20210115 - Update Blog

In the News: Dissecting the HEAR Act

“For years, now, Grünbaum’s heirs have fought to bring home works that were once part of his collection; however, they have faced a lot of push back and failure in the process. In 2005, an attempt to restitute Seated Woman With Bent Left Leg (Torso) by Schiele was thwarted when the court deemed that too much time had passed for Grünbaum’s heirs to lay claim to it. In 2015, Grünbaum’s heirs began the process of seeking the return of Schiele’s Woman in a Black Pinafore (1911) and Woman Hiding her Face (1912). Thanks to the HEAR Act, the case was heard and, in his ruling, Judge Ramos stated: ‘The HEAR Act compels us to help return Nazi-looted art to its heirs […] the gut-wrenching process by which Mr. Grünbaum’s property was looted.’”

Read the whole article here: https://www.lootedart.com/U28K6F947771

NY Appeals Court Explains Why Nazi-Stolen Paintings Belong With Gruenbaum’s Heirs

In a deeply researched opinion that it appears could embolden legal efforts by Jewish heirs to reclaim Nazi-stolen art worldwide, a state appeals court Tuesday ruled that two highly valued early 20th century paintings looted by the Nazis belong to the heirs of the Austrian Jewish entertainer who first collected them.

https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2019/07/09/ny-appeals-court-explains-why-nazi-stolen-paintings-belong-with-jewish-collectors-heirs/

NY Appeals Court Explains Why Nazi-Stolen Paintings Belong With Jewish Collector's Heirs _ New York Law Journal