Sweden returns Nazi-looted Kokoschka painting to Jewish heir

This undated handout photo made available by the Swedish state museum for modern art in Stockholm on September 4, 2018 shows the painting by Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka from 1910 titled Marquis Joseph de Montesquiou-Fezensac AFP Photo/Prallan Allsten.

STOCKHOLM (AFP).- Sweden's modern museum on Tuesday said it had returned a Nazi-confiscated painting by Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka to the heir of a persecuted Jewish art collector. "It is with joy and relief that we see the Kokoschka painting return to its rightful owner," the state-owned Moderna Museet in Stockholm said in a statement.

Known for his expressionist portraits and paintings of landscapes, Kokoschka's portrait of "Marquis Joseph de Montesquiou-Fezensac" (1910) initially belonged to Alfred Flechtheim, a well-known art collector and gallery owner who was forced to flee Nazi Germany in 1933.

"The painting was taken from him because he was Jewish," the Moderna Museet in Stockholm said in a statement, adding it had therefore "decided to return the work to (his) heir". Flechtheim's employee Alex Vomel sold the painting when the Nazis expropriated the gallery and artwork between 1933 and 1934. "Vomel, who joined the Nazi party early on, took advantage of his former employer's tragic situation," the museum said.

A self-taught painter in the German Expressionism movement, Kokoschka was in the league of artists deemed "degenerate" by the Nazis. The painting has been sent to the United States where Flechtheim's heir Michael Hulton lives. Daniel Birnbaum, the head of the museum, said it took two years to exclude other possible owners. "And in the shadow of a genocide ... you cannot demand receipts and invoices," he told AFP, adding it's unclear how the painting was first sold to Sweden's Nationalmuseum in 1934 before it was exhibited at Moderna Museet. "It's immensely important for both Sweden's government and our museum to not have any work with problematic origins in the collection," Moderna Museet said.

Birnbaum said the portrait of the Marquis, painted in black, brown, grey and violet-grey with sketchy brush strokes, raises questions about similar cases. In 2009, the Moderna Museet returned another artwork to a Jewish family.

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Bavarian authorities return priceless eighth century gold Sican mask to Peru

Peru spent 20 years trying to secure the return of this gold funerary mask from the pre-Columbian Sican culture (AFP Photo/HO)

LIMA (AFP).- Germany has returned a pre-Columbian gold funerary mask to Peru following a 20-year legal and diplomatic battle, the South American country's culture minister said on Thursday.

Peru had reported the eighth century Sican mask's disappearance in 1999, after which it was confiscated by Interpol from the German city of Wiesbaden. "I'm happy to receive one of the most emblematic assets from the north Peruvian cultures, the Sican Mask," said Patricia Balbuena in a statement. The mask was handed over to the Peruvian embassy in Berlin by Bavarian authorities.

The Munich regional court ordered the mask be returned to Peru in December 2016 after it had been confiscated by the public prosecutor. It is due to arrive in Peru in the coming weeks.

Like neighboring Ecuador, which secured the return of 13 pre-Columbian artifacts from a private German collection in July after a six-year legal battle, the South American country has been eager to recover priceless pieces from its cultural heritage. The Sican culture inhabited the north coast of Peru between the eighth and 14th centuries.

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Stolen 12th century Indian Buddha statue found in London

An undated handout picture released by the British Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in London on August 15, 2018, shows a 12th century Buddha statue stolen from India 57 years ago that is to be returned to the Indian High Commissioner in London. - A bronze Buddha statue stolen from an Indian museum 57 years ago has surfaced in London and is now being returned to the country, police said Wednesday. The statue with silver inlay was one of 14 stolen from the Archaeological Survey of India site museum in Nalanda in the east of the country in 1961. (Photo by HO / METROPOLITAN POLICE / AFP)

LONDON (AFP).- A 12th century bronze Buddha statue stolen from an Indian museum 57 years ago has surfaced in London and is now being returned to the country, police said Wednesday. The statue with silver inlay was one of 14 stolen from the Archaeological Survey of India site museum in Nalanda in the east of the country in 1961.

It was spotted at a trade fair in Britain in March this year, prompting an investigation by the Art and Antique Unit of London's Metropolitan Police. They alerted the owner and dealer, who are not accused of any wrongdoing, and who agreed for it to be returned to India.

The statue was handed over to the Indian High Commission in London in a ceremony on Wednesday. "This underlines how law enforcement and the London art market are working hand in hand to deliver positive cultural diplomacy to the world," said arts minister Michael Ellis in a statement.

Detective Constable Sophie Hayes of the Art and Antique Unit added: "Particular credit must go to the eagle-eyed informants who made us aware that the missing piece had been located after so many years."

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Thieves snatch Swedish crown jewels in daylight heist

A picture taken on July 31, 2018 shows a cordoned zone as Swedish police investigates after Sweden’s royal jewels dated from the 17th century have been stolen in the Strängnäs cathedral. Pontus STENBERG / TT News Agency / AFP.

STOCKHOLM (AFP).- Robbers who nabbed two 17th century royal crowns and an orb from a Swedish cathedral remained at large on Wednesday, a day after fleeing their daring midday heist by motorboat. The thieves, who have not been identified, and the jewels are being sought internationally via Interpol, Swedish police spokesman Stefan Dangardt said, noting the objects were a "national treasure" and would likely be "very difficult to sell".

The gold burial crowns from 1611 belonging to King Karl IX and his wife Queen Christina were originally interred with the couple but were later exhumed and had been on display in a locked glass cabinet in Strangnas Cathedral, located 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Stockholm. King Karl IX's crown is made of gold and features crystals and pearls, while Christina's is smaller and made of gold, precious stones and pearls. "We have as yet no value of the stolen goods, except that it is a national treasure," Dangardt told AFP.

"Several people were seen leaving the church by boat or jet ski after the theft. We have spoken to witnesses, but we are interested in further information from anyone that has made any observations," he said. Tom Rowsell, who was having lunch outside the cathedral where he is to be married this weekend, told daily Aftonbladet he saw two men dash from the building toward a motorboat waiting on Lake Malaren. "I saw a white little boat with an outboard motor on the back. The two men hurriedly jumped on board and it sped off," he said. "I knew immediately they were burglars because of the way they were behaving," he added. 'Not possible to sell' The theft occurred just before noon on Tuesday, and police quickly had helicopters, patrols, and search dogs looking for the thieves but their efforts have so far proved fruitless, Dangardt said.

"There is of course going to be a lot of media interest in these types of objects. There will be pictures in the media. It's just not possible to sell these kinds of objects," the national police coordinator for thefts of cultural artefacts, Maria Ellior, told news agency TT. "So we can only speculate about (the thieves) intentions," she added.

Similar heists have occurred before.
In 2013, King Johan III's burial regalia was stolen from Vasteras Cathedral. It was recovered several days later in a garbage bag left on a countryside road, following an anonymous tip. "One can hope that something like that will happen in this case," Ellior said.

The perpetrators of Tuesday's heist risk up to six years in prison for aggravated theft. Lars Amreus of the Swedish National Heritage Board said the theft was a great loss for Sweden. "These are royal regalia that belong to the Kingdom of Sweden, totally unique objects that are of immense immaterial value," he told daily Dagens Nyheter. He said the theft had likely been ordered by someone who was very well aware of the objects' value and who was willing to take a big risk to get their hands on them.

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Gallery owners stunned by theft of work by Canadian artist

TP, Headphones, Laptop, Brushes by Ontario artist Mike Bayne was stolen from a Calgary art gallery

A Calgary art gallery hopes surveillance video will help catch culprits behind a bold noon hour theft. Ina Sidhu explains.



Owners of a downtown Calgary art gallery believe a recent noon hour robbery is the work of a smooth criminal. They hope security video will help catch the culprit who swiped a $12,000.00 painting from the Trepanier Baer Gallery. The oil painting by Kingston, Ontario artist Mike Bayne is of his own workspace and is titled TP, Headphones, Laptop, Brushes.

“It was a small little intimate painting measuring 4x6 in black and white an absolutely wonderful little thing,” says Yves Trepanier the co-owner of Trepanier Baer Gallery. He says Bayne is a well collected artist in both Canada and the United States.

Trenpanier says a man walked into the gallery and several people in the gallery spoke to him, explained the exhibit to him and asked if he needed help but the man said no he was just wandering around. “We’d never seen him before and he was well dressed and seemed like a reasonable person so he wandered around,” says Trepanier.

It’s believed the painting went missing sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Wednesday and everyone was stunned when they realized it was gone. “It’s very bold. I mean this is broad daylight this is over the lunch hour. This is three people talking to the person the suspect and he somehow managed to fool us. It was quite a thing so just from that point of view we were shocked and disappointed that we weren't able to do anything and didn’t see anything happen,” says Trepanier.

Trenpanier says they called police immediately and handed over the surveillance video and also notified the Art Dealers Association of Canada which alerted the art community including sellers, appraisers and auction houses. “We're hoping it will be harder for this person to sell the painting if that’s the intent,” says Trepanier. “Selling artwork, stolen artwork is not an easy thing to do and what was the motive this person had I have no idea.”

Trepanier has been in business for 30 years and says nothing like this has ever happened to him. He also says art thefts in Canada are quite rare with less than a dozen thefts from Canadian art galleries in a year. The gallery does have insurance on the piece and has informed artist Mike Bayne of the theft.

Amy Stalker, Senior News Producer
@CTVAStalker
Published Friday, July 27, 2018 5:49PM MDT
Last Updated Friday, July 27, 2018 7:18PM MDT

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/gallery-owners-stunned-by-theft-of-work-by-canadian-artist-1.4031446

European police seize 25,000 trafficked ancient finds

Some 25 000 archeological goods seized worth a total of EUR 40 million. Photo: Europol.

THE HAGUE (AFP).- Police forces in four countries on Wednesday seized some 25,000 Greek and Roman archaeological items worth over 40 million euros ($46 million) in pre-dawn raids, cracking down on illegal trafficking in cultural goods. Some 250 officers in Italy, Spain, Britain and Germany simultaneously swooped on 40 houses -- the culmination of a four-year investigation led by the Italians, the European police agency said.

In Italy, the raids were focused on the regions of Sicily, Calabria, Piedmont, Apulia, in what is considered one of the biggest crackdowns in such crimes "in Italian history". In the Sicilian Caltanissetta area "which is rich in archaeological sites from the Greek and Roman epochs, local members of the organised crime group illegally excavated artefacts," Europol said.

The items were then smuggled out of Italy, "equipped with false provenances and sold via German auction houses." Facilitators in Barcelona and London helped organise the "supply chain" and provided technical support. Police also seized 1,500 tools including metal detectors in the early morning raids. "International cooperation is key to the success of such investigations in the field of trafficking of cultural goods, in which artefacts are moved through several EU countries and levels before they are brought to the legal market," Europol added.

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Art dynasty heir Wildenstein cleared at Paris fraud trial

In this file photo taken on September 22, 2016 French American art dealer Guy Wildenstein arrives for his trial over tax fraud at the courthouse in Paris. A Paris court will rule on June 29, 2018 on the Wildenstein case appeal trial. Eric FEFERBERG / AFP. by Sofia Bouderbala

PARIS (AFP).- Guy Wildenstein, the Franco-American patriarch of an art-dealing dynasty, was cleared Friday of tax fraud after being accused of hiding hundreds of millions of euros from French authorities. A first trial for him and other family members collapsed in January 2017, but French prosecutors successfully appealed for a re-trial, only to suffer a second setback on Friday when the Wildensteins were acquitted again.

The appeal court "finds that the crime of tax fraud is outside the statute of limitations... and confirms the judgement" of the first trial, the presiding judge told a packed courtroom in Paris during a five-minute judgement. Prosecutors had called for a four-year prison sentence and a fine of 250 million euros for Wildenstein during the trial, which stems from a multi-generational inheritance squabble worthy of a soap opera. The case revolved around tax declarations filed in 2002 and 2008. Wildenstein's nephew Alec Junior and his ex-stepsister Liouba Stoupakova were also cleared, as well as trust fund managers and lawyers who were put on trial.

In January 2017, a court found evidence of a "clear attempt" by Wildenstein and seven co-defendants to hide art treasures and properties worth hundreds of millions of euros from tax authorities. Most of the dynasty's billions are held by a web of trusts and holding companies stretching from the Channel Island of Guernsey to the Bahamas. But the presiding judge said lapses in the investigation and in French law made it impossible to return a guilty verdict, a decision that led to the appeal by prosecutors for a re-trial.

'Load of rubbish'
Wildenstein's lawyers had always contested the legal grounds for the prosecution, arguing that there was "no legal nor moral grounds to accuse Guy Wildenstein of anything." His lawyer Herve Temime called the verdict on Friday "the only decision possible" and sharply criticised French prosecutors. "It's very easy to make up figures, to sully a name, a family, and explain in every way possible that there was massive tax evasion that must be judged. Except that it was false and a load of rubbish," he said.

Wildenstein is the heir of three generations of wealthy art dealers and thoroughbred racehorse breeders. French tax authorities claimed that family money was hidden after the death of Guy's father Daniel in 2001 and his brother Alec in 2008, both of whom died in Paris.

Alec became famous during his messy divorce from Swiss socialite Jocelyne Perisse, nicknamed "Bride of Wildenstein" for her extreme cosmetic surgery, reportedly to make her look more cat-like. The second wives and widows of Daniel and Alec rose up against the family over their slice of the inheritance, accusing Guy of hiding much of his inherited fortune via a web of opaque trusts in tax havens.

This piqued the interest of French investigators, who began probing the case in 2010 and demanded in 2014 a tax adjustment payment of 550 million euros. Family assets include a host of works by Rococo painter Fragonard and post-Impressionist Bonnard, and a stable of thoroughbred horses including Ascot Gold Cup winner Westerner. Other assets included a vast real estate portfolio, with the jewel in the crown a luxurious Kenyan ranch which provided the backdrop for the film "Out of Africa".

In Friday's court ruling, the presiding judge said Guy Wildenstein could not be prosecuted over a 2002 tax declaration after his father's death because too much time had elapsed since. The statute of limitations for prosecutions at the time was only three years. For the second tax declaration in 2008 after Alec's death, the judge found there was no legal basis for prosecuting the Wildensteins.

France changed its law on trust funds in 2011 -- known as the "Wildenstein law" -- to give tax authorities greater power to pursue individuals who shift assets to offshore investment funds to avoid tax.

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