Berne art gallery accepts Gurlitt Nazi treasure.

Le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Berne accepte le “trésor nazi” de Gurlitt

par Rédaction de France Info lundi 24 novembre 2014 11:50

Le Musée de Berne accepte la collection Gurlitt mais veut restituer les œuvres volées © REUTERS | Arnd Wiegmann

Au total 1200 dessins et croquis signés Picasso, Monet, Chagall dont le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Berne a accepté d’hériter. En sachant qu’il s’agit pour beaucoup d’œuvres volées par les nazis. Il assure qu’il va les restituer à leurs propriétaires légitimes. A total of 1,200 drawings and sketches signed by Picasso, Monet and Chagall are included among their inheritances in the Berne Art Gallery. It is known that those concerned are many works stolen by the Nazis. The gallery has assured it will restore these works to their legitimate owners.

C’est en 2012 que la police allemande, qui enquête sur une possible fraude fiscale, tombe sur la collection amassée par Hildebrand Gurlitt. Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il avait été chargé par les nazis de vendre “l’art dégénéré” dont ils avaient vidé les musées allemands. Il avait aussi récupéré beaucoup d’oeuvres volées à des juifs avant leur déportation.

It was in 2012 that German police, while investigating possible tax fraud, fell upon the art collection amassed by   Hildebrand (Cornelius) Gurlitt. During the second world war, he was given responsibility by the Nazis to sell “degenerate art” of which he emptied German galleries and museums. He also collected many works stolen from Jews before their deportation

Avant sa mort en mai dernier à l’âge de 81 ans, Cornelius Gurlitt avait désigné le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Berne comme son légataire universel. D’où la question posée à ce musée: accepter ou pas cette collection contestée.  Et la réponse a été oui.  Mais face aux critiques, Christoph Schäublin, qui préside le conseil d’administration du musée, a aussitôt annoncé que le Kunstmuseum Basel allait coopérer avec les autorités allemandes pour déterminer quelles œuvres ont été volées ou extorquées sous le nazisme en vue de leur restitution à leurs propriétaires légitimes.

Before his death last May at the age of 81, Gurlitt designated the Berne Art Gallery/Museum as his lawful inheritor. So the question posed to this museum: accept or not this contested collection. And the response was yes. But faced by their critics, Christoph Schäublin, who presides over the museum’s administration council, has announced that the Kunstmuseum, Berne (sic), is going to co-operate with the German authorities to determine which works were stolen or extorted under the Nazis with a view to returning them to their legitimate owners.

About bill

Worked in the technical / engineering area as a Science Laboratory Technician and as an Aeronautics Engineer. The artistic side involves writing under the nom de plume of Billy Olsenn, his recently written play 'A Case of Wine' was staged by the players group Straight Make-Up at the 2012 Birr one act drama festival. It's next staging was in the one act circuit is in Cavan, at Maudebawn on Sat 10 Nov 2012. Then it was performed in the Bray, Co.Wicklow at the very popular one act festival in January 2013. Next play is FEAR. A dark tale about revenge on the cruel death of two pensioners by young thugs. Neighbours hatch a devious and dangerous plan to exact old-style revenge. Bill is a member of the Drama League of Ireland and his plays have been critically vetted and certified as original pieces of work by the DLI. Another literary project is that of commemoration of an aircraft crash on Djouce mountain in Wicklow in 1946. Bill wrote articles for the 50th, 60th and most recently the 70th anniversary, (12 Aug 2016) all were published in the Wicklow Times and ensured the survivors of the crash, all French Girl Guides, were not forgotten. Articles reproduced on this website. But mostly this site gives a more general European and specific French slant on popular and not so popular articles of French news, translated to English by the author. Each article is translated on a paragraph by paragraph basis so easy to read in either language and even possible to improve either language by comparison of the short English and French paragraphs. Amusez vous bien. The author is currently writing an easy to read technical aviation book centered around the Fokker 50. Another interest is that dealt with in another of Bill's websites www.realnamara.net, a Statue of the mother of God, Mary. It was erected in 1972 in Dublin, at the end of the Bull Wall near Clontarf, and my grandfather William Nelson, was the main instigator of that project. I give talks on the history of the statue and my grandfather's adventurous and dangerous life at sea. Technical assistance with each website is by J O'N.
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