Ronald Lauder, Advocate of Art Restitution, Says His Museum Holds a Clouded Work
3 thoughts on “Possible Nazi war loot at the Neue Gallerie, NYC”
Beth Bayless
I really liked this article because it asks the question of art ownership and how to deal with the consequences of the Nazi art looting that happened before and during WW2. It surprises me a little how little patience several commenters/ interviewees that the article included had when the gallery was working on providing the artwork histories, something that can be very difficult to track down, especially during war times. It was nice to see how hard the gallery is/was trying to be transparent about the work that they are displaying.
I have always been interested in the repatriation of artworks that were stolen by Nazis from Jewish families. I think it’s unfortunate that some people are very unwilling to return stolen art. I thought it was interesting how Mr. Lauder was a huge advocate for returning artwork when it didn’t impact him peresonally. It’s nice to see him coming around to some degree, though the comment about the one piece that he owns being an issue of family inheritance indicates that he hasn’t completely changed his tune. I’m interested to see if he actually makes any improvements in transparency.
It is sad that the Nazis were so successful with taking and destroying so many great works of art. That it has not been that long since WW2 and we are still dealing with some of the aftermath today. It is also sad when people have this stolen art and will not return it to the right place it was stolen from. It reminds me of watching the movie Woman in Gold and how it is so similar to this article.
I really liked this article because it asks the question of art ownership and how to deal with the consequences of the Nazi art looting that happened before and during WW2. It surprises me a little how little patience several commenters/ interviewees that the article included had when the gallery was working on providing the artwork histories, something that can be very difficult to track down, especially during war times. It was nice to see how hard the gallery is/was trying to be transparent about the work that they are displaying.
I have always been interested in the repatriation of artworks that were stolen by Nazis from Jewish families. I think it’s unfortunate that some people are very unwilling to return stolen art. I thought it was interesting how Mr. Lauder was a huge advocate for returning artwork when it didn’t impact him peresonally. It’s nice to see him coming around to some degree, though the comment about the one piece that he owns being an issue of family inheritance indicates that he hasn’t completely changed his tune. I’m interested to see if he actually makes any improvements in transparency.
It is sad that the Nazis were so successful with taking and destroying so many great works of art. That it has not been that long since WW2 and we are still dealing with some of the aftermath today. It is also sad when people have this stolen art and will not return it to the right place it was stolen from. It reminds me of watching the movie Woman in Gold and how it is so similar to this article.