Berlin's Bode Museum returns Nazi-looted treasure, heirs agree to sell back

One of the heirs of former owners, a Jewish couple who fled the Nazi regime, Felix de Marez Oyens (L) and his wife Theodora de Marez Oyens stand in front of a 15th century religious wooden sculpture during its restitution on June 25, 2018 in Berlin. A Berlin museum said it had formally restituted the medieval artifact to the heirs who in turn agreed to sell back, the "Three Angels with the Christ Child", at an undisclosed price to the Bode Museum, which will keep it in its collection. The delicately carved 25 centimetre (10 inch) tall sculpture from around 1430 shows three floating angels in the clouds holding a cloth on which lies the sleeping infant Jesus. Bernd von Jutrczenka / AFP.

BERLIN (AFP).- A Berlin museum Monday said it had formally restituted a 15th century religious wooden sculpture to the heirs of former owners, a Jewish couple who fled the Nazi regime. The heirs in turn agreed to sell back the medieval artifact, "Three Angels with the Christ Child", at an undisclosed price to the Bode Museum, which will keep it in its collection.

The agreement meant "righting an injustice", said the head of Berlin's public museums, Michael Eissenhauer, who thanked the heirs for the "grand gesture" that will keep the priceless piece on public display. The delicately carved 25 centimetre (10 inch) tall sculpture from around 1430 shows three floating angels in the clouds holding a cloth on which lies the sleeping infant Jesus.

It once belonged to the private collection of Ernst Saulmann, a Jewish industrialist, and his wife Agathe, an architect's daughter who was one of the few female pilots of her era. As Adolf Hitler's thugs stepped up their campaign to terrorise Jews, the couple fled Nazi repression in late 1935, initially for Italy. The Nazis confiscated their wealth, including their land and business, a mechanised cotton mill, as well as their private library, art collection and Agathe's plane. The more than 100 artworks were sold off at a Munich auction in 1936.

The exiled Saulmanns in 1938 left fascist Italy for France, which the Nazis invaded two years later. The couple were interned in France in Camp Gurs, where Ernst Saulmann's health severely deteriorated. He died a year after the war ended, in 1946. Agathe, having suffered depression after the horrors she endured, committed suicide in 1951.

In recent years, their descendants hired researchers who managed to locate 11 of the art objects, which had ended up in five German museums and three private collections abroad. "My family was able to reach different agreements with all these institutions and collectors," said one of the heirs, Felix de Marez Oyens, at a press conference. "However, the Bode Museum is the only institution that conducted independent research and approached us with the results." On the verge of tears, he added: "I am convinced that Ernst and Agathe Saulmann would have welcomed this agreement".

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Banksy print stolen from Toronto show

At some point last Sunday a Banksy print was removed from the exhibit.

OTTAWA.- Canadian police said Thursday they are investigating the theft of a Banksy print from an unauthorized exhibit of the British-based guerrilla graffiti artist's work in Toronto. "We were called about a break and enter in the city's west end," Constable Jenifferjit Sidhu told AFP. "At some point last Sunday a Banksy print was removed from the exhibit."

The stolen "Trolley Hunters" print depicts crouching men in loin cloths armed with stone-tipped wooden spears and axes as they hunt grocery shopping carts in a grassy field. Its value is estimated at Can$45,000 (US$34,000), Sidhu said.

The Art of Banksy exhibit -- curated by his former manager Steve Lazarides, but reportedly not endorsed by the artist himself -- opened on Wednesday in a Toronto industrial building dressed up as an art gallery, as part of a larger North American run.

Displaying about 80 works on loan from collectors, including sculptures, screen prints, canvases and multimedia pieces, it has been billed as the largest collection of Banksy works ever assembled.
The exhibit runs until July 11.

© Agence France-Presse
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Sir Stanley Spencer painting discovered hidden under a bed during a drugs raid

Five years after the theft of Cookham from Englefield, police discovered the painting hidden under a bed during a drugs raid on a property in West London.

LONDON.- Cookham from Englefield by Sir Stanley Spencer was on loan to the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham in 2012 when thieves broke in through a window and removed it. The owners said they were devastated at the loss of the painting, which was of great sentimental value.

However, they were compensated for the loss of the painting by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport under the Government Indemnity Scheme. The scheme provides UK museums and galleries with an alternative to commercial insurance, which can be costly. It allows organizations to display art and objects that they might not have been able to borrow due to high insurance costs.

Five years after the theft of Cookham from Englefield, police discovered the painting hidden under a bed during a drugs raid on a property in West London. A 28-year-old man was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court in October after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and acquiring criminal property. He also admitted a charge of handling stolen goods. Last month the owners were finally reunited with their painting

Arts Minister Michael Ellis said: Spencer is one our most renowned painters and a true great of the 20th century. It is wonderful that this story has had a happy ending and the painting has been returned to its rightful owners. This has been made possible because of the Government Indemnity Scheme. It exists to protect owners when lending their works to public galleries. Without it there would be fewer world-class pieces on display across the country for people to enjoy.

Detective Inspector Brian Hobbs, of the Met’s Organised Crime Command, said: I am pleased to say that the painting has now been returned to its owners. The seizure of the painting was the result of a proactive investigation by the Organised Crime Command, which resulted in a significant custodial sentence for the defendant found in possession of the painting.

Detective Constable Sophie Hayes, of the Met’s Art and Antiques Unit, said: The Art and Antiques Unit was delighted to assist with the recovery and return of this important painting. The circumstances of its recovery underline the links between cultural heritage crime and wider criminality. The fact that the painting was stolen five years before it was recovered did not hinder a prosecution for handling stolen goods, demonstrating the Met will pursue these matters wherever possible, no matter how much time has elapsed.

Sir Stanley Spencer (1891 - 1959) was an English painter known for his works depicting Biblical scenes of his birthplace Cookham. He is one of the most important artists of the 20th century and during the Second World War was commissioned by the War Artists’ Advisory Committee.

It is estimated that the Government Indemnity Scheme saves UK museums and galleries £14 million a year. In the last ten years of the scheme, only 12 claims for damage and loss have been received. This incident is the first one where an item covered by the Scheme has been stolen and successfully returned to its original owners. In line with the rules of the Government Indemnity Scheme for the return of the painting, the owners repaid the amount they had received in settlement of the claim minus the cost of repairs and depreciation.

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