Egon Schiele’s “Woman Hiding Her Face” Image by Artnet

By Ari Feldman April 6, 2018

A judge awarded ownership of two paintings by Egon Schiele that were looted by Nazis to the descendants of their owner, the BBC reported.

Judge Charles Ramos, in New York, gave ownership of the paintings to the the descendants of Fritz Grunbaum, a Jewish Austrian performer and playwright who died in the Dachau prison camp. Grunbaum had a legendary collection of artwork totaling over 450 pieces, including 80 by Schiele, all of which were looted by the Nazis in 1938.

Ramos ruled against Richard Nagy, an English art dealer who had put the works up for sale in 2015. Nagy claimed he had purchased the works legally. Nagy argued that the statute of limitations had also run out on the original theft of the artwork.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

But in 2016, Congress passed the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act, which extended the statute of limitations on artwork stolen during the Holocaust to six years after its “actual discovery” by heirs of the original owners. Nagy tried to argue that the HEAR Act did not apply to this case, but Ramos called that argument “absurd.”

“Today, my family has regained a part of its history that was stolen by the Nazi Regime,” said Timothy Reif, heir and executor of the Grunbaum estate.

Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount