RESTITUTION OF FOUR MORE PAINTINGS FROM THE BAVARIAN STATE PAINTING COLLECTIONS - September 2, 2025
At the end of August, Minister of Art Markus Blume decided, at the suggestion of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, to restitute four paintings. The Provenance Research Department at the newly established Bavarian State Museums Agency had previously determined that these were Nazi-looted art
Returns continue the investigation into the collection's history (English, Français, Deutsch)
MUNICH. Four paintings from the holdings of the Bavarian State Painting Collections are being returned to their rightful owners. Research by the Provenance Research Department at the newly established Bavarian State Museums Agency had determined that they were Nazi-looted art. Consequently, at the end of August, Minister of Art Markus Blume, at the suggestion of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, decided to restitute the paintings "Lot and His Daughters" and "Abraham Entertains the Three Angels" by Franz Sigrist the Elder, "At the Inn Table" by Ernst Karl Georg Zimmermann, and "St. Anne the Self-Proclaimed" by Lucas Cranach the Elder. For the work "Young Girl with a Straw Hat" by Friedrich von Amerling, it is proposed that the Arbitration Court for Nazi-Looted Art be referred for a decision. The completion of the research and evaluation of the five works reflects increased transparency and speed in provenance research and restitution, as well as the new beginning for Anton Biebl as Director of the Bavarian State Painting Collections this spring.
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| Art district in Munich: Pinakothek der Moderne and Alte Pinakothek (bottom right) in Munich, photo: Helga Waess (Collage - Pressefotoarchiv) |
MARKUS BLUME AND ANTON BIEBL ON THE RESTITUTIONS
"By returning these four works, we cannot remedy the cruel injustice committed to the owners. But we can attempt to make amends to the victims and send a message: We are working intensively to address the injustice of the Nazi era – since this spring with more speed, more transparency, and more results," emphasizes Minister of Culture Markus Blume. "I am very grateful to Anton Biebl and everyone involved for their dedication to addressing the history of the collection. The establishment of an arbitration court before the end of this year will also further advance the process and ensure a legally sound and fair resolution of contentious cases. Bavaria has vigorously advocated for the introduction of arbitration and will, of course, submit such cases to this court if the other parties agree."
"The return of the four paintings is another important step for us in continuing to examine the history of our collection," emphasizes Anton Biebl. "We take the responsibility for thorough provenance research very seriously. It is crucial for us that decisions are made transparently, understandably, and in accordance with international standards. In this way, we ensure that both the legitimate interests of the heirs and the museums' responsibility for preserving cultural heritage are fairly considered.
The Lion case demonstrates how complex restitution issues can be when historical sources allow for different interpretations. This is precisely why we are deliberately proposing the new arbitration tribunal for Amerling's work: Only an independent and neutral body can provide clarity in a contentious case like this."
RESTITUTION TO THE HEIRS OF THE MUNICH-BRAUER LION ART DEALERSHIP
The Bavarian State Painting Collections are returning two paintings by the Austrian artist Franz Sigrist the Elder (1727–1803) to the heirs of the former Munich-based art dealership Brüder Lion: "Lot and His Daughters" and "Abraham Entertaining the Three Angels."
The two small-format Old German works came into the possession of the Bavarian State Painting Collections on December 14, 1936, in exchange for a large-format Impressionist work by the Danish painter Peder Severin Krøyer (1851–1909) – just days before the long-established Brüder Lion Gallery on Munich's Maximiliansplatz was forced to cease operations under pressure from the Nazi authorities. Sigrist's works were proactively researched and have been registered in the Lost Art database since 2020.
The Brothers Lion art gallery was founded by Jakob Lion in 1888. It developed into one of Munich's leading galleries in the 1920s and, by 1935, was among the ten highest-grossing art and antiques dealers in Munich. The Bavarian State Painting Collections acquired works of art there for the first time as early as 1927. In addition to the main gallery with eleven exhibition rooms, the brothers Louis, Hans, and Fritz Lion temporarily operated a branch in Berlin and a seasonal shop in Marienbad. However, with the Nazi seizure of power, their business activities were gradually curtailed until the Munich branch was forced to close at the end of 1936.
RESTITUTION OF THE PAINTING "AT THE INN TABLE" BY ERNST KARL GEORG ZIMMERMANN
The Bavarian State Painting Collections proactively researched the painting "At the Inn Table" by Ernst Karl Georg Zimmermann (1852-1901) and registered it on Lost Art in 2022. The work was acquired from Nazi property. Even though its provenance could not be fully determined, the loss of the Munich art dealer Bertold Jochsberger (1878-1940) due to Nazi persecution is clear. However, it is unclear whether other, still unknown, former owners should be given priority as primary victims. It now remains to be clarified to whom the work should ultimately be returned.
RESTITUTION OF "ST. ANNE SELF-DRIVE" from the Circle of LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER
In the case of the work "St. Anne Selbdritt" by an anonymous student of Lucas Cranach the Elder, restitution was decided after a re-examination based on the new valuation framework in a so-called refugee property case. This valuation framework, adopted in 2024, allows for a more differentiated assessment: It takes greater account of the economic hardships of emigrants caused by persecution by recognizing that forced sales can also occur outside of the Reich. Ernst Magnus (1973-1942), director of the Commerz- und Disconto-Bank Hannover, persecuted as a Jew, sold the painting in Switzerland. He used the money to finance his family's escape, as all assets in Germany were no longer available.
Arbitration Court for Nazi-Looted Art CAN PROVIDE FINAL CLARIFICATION IN THE CASE OF THE AMERLING PAINTING
Since February 2024, all acquisitions by the Bavarian State Painting Collections from the Brothers Lion art dealership have been thoroughly examined. After intensive research, a claim by Lion's heirs for the return of the painting "Young Girl with a Straw Hat" by Friedrich von Amerling (1803–1887) could not be confirmed. The research results suggest that there is clear and sufficient evidence that the dealership was still able to operate freely on the market at the time of the exchange, and that the transaction can be assumed to have been carried out in the course of "proper, normal business."
The acquisition by exchange had already been agreed upon in 1934 and was completed in January 1935. At that time, a large-format garden scene by the Venetian Ottocento artist Luigi Nono (1850–1918) and a magnificent still life by the Austrian genre painter Max Schödl (1834–1921) were sold to the Brothers Lion art dealership in lieu of cash. Barter transactions with art dealers, private individuals, or other collections were common practice for museums even before the Nazi era when funds were lacking. Following the new valuation framework of the Arbitration Court for Nazi-Looted Art, the evaluation of the research results does not presume a loss due to persecution.
This means that the assessment of the loss due to persecution differs from that of the applicants. A binding and fair resolution of this discrepancy can be achieved through a decision by the Arbitration Court for Nazi-Looted Art, especially since its case law on the criterion of "proper, customary business" is not yet available. This will enable an independent and neutral assessment of the research conducted to date, ensuring the greatest possible transparency and a fair arbitration award that is understandable to all parties. The Free State of Bavaria is thus consciously committed to a transparent process that complies with international standards of restitution practice.
Reappraisal and Provenance Research
The Department of Provenance Research has been located within the newly established Bavarian State Museums Agency since July 2025. The researchers have been systematically working on the holdings of the state museums for decades.
The goal of provenance research is to make the provenance history of all the Free State's collections – especially acquisitions from the Nazi era – transparent and to critically examine them.
The case of the Brüder Lion art dealership demonstrates the particular complexity of provenance research, as many business documents were lost due to persecution and emigration. Reconstructing the acquisition history was therefore only possible with intensive research and the inclusion of numerous sources. In the Magnus case, the decision to return the work to the heirs is a visible sign of the further development of the Free State's restitution practice. The Jochsberger case, in turn, demonstrates the challenges of searching for the current rightful owners.
A further eight works await restitution decisions
Apart from these current restitution decisions, the Provenance Research Department at the Bavarian State Museums Agency, in collaboration with the Bavarian State Painting Collections, is preparing the return of eight further works for which decisions have already been made: Provenance Research.
Media Release from the Bavarian State Painting Collections dated September 2, 2025: "Restitution of four further paintings from the Bavarian State Painting Collections"
