UPDATE: Artwork Stolen By Nazis Removed From Auction
Image by Antoine Antoniol / Getty Images
Recently, it was reported that artwork stolen by the Nazis that was slated to go up for auction in Austria despite legal (and moral) claims from the rightful owners. Well, today, it has been reported by Artnet that the “owner” of the painting has withdrawn the work from “just hours before the auction was due to begin.” According to the report, Im Kinsky, the auction house hosting the sale, gave a bit of a non-statement on the withdrawal, saying “The decision came today. It is the right of any owner to withdraw his art object for whatever reason also shortly before an auction. He is not obliged to give an argument and we are not in the position to forward any.” The painting had previously been withdrawn from a French auction because of its status as a looted work, but in Austria, as long as an artwork is purchased “in good faith,” then the sale, and ownership of the work is perfectly legal.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
