Art News. Vasari Codex

gavel restitution schedule May 26, 2026 visibility 3 link 2 artists

Heir says Cezanne watercolour in Basel show was lost due to Nazi persecution

A watercolor by Paul Cézanne (1888) shown at the Fondation Beyeler's recent exhibition once belonged to Gustav Schweitzer, a Jewish businessman who fled Berlin in 1935. Provenance researcher Willi Korte discovered documents in Basel's public archives showing Schweitzer loaned the work to the Kunsthalle Basel for a 1936 exhibition. Correspondence continued until 1939, when the work was returned to Schweitzer's secretary. How Schweitzer lost ownership remains unknown, but Korte says it was either sold under duress or looted in Nazi-occupied territory. The Fondation Beyeler has stated it will return the work to its current lender, an unnamed private collector based in the US.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 18 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

Tiny Cranach Painting That Vanished During WWII Returns to Dresden

A miniature portrait of Friedrich III (Frederick the Wise) by Lucas Cranach the Elder, missing since World War II, has been returned to the State Art Collections of Dresden, Germany. The painting was last documented in May 1945 in a limestone quarry shelter near Pockau-Lengefeld before vanishing. It resurfaced in 2024 when consigned to Parisian auction house Artcurial, whose provenance investigation revealed a matching inventory number from 1722–1728. The Dreyfus family in France, the modern owners, returned the work after negotiations and a financial agreement. It is now on view at the Coin Cabinet of the Royal Palace in a special exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of Friedrich III's death, and will later be permanently displayed in the Semper Gallery.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 17 link 1 artist

In This Nazi-Era Restitution Dispute, the Focus Turns to a Missing Cow

A family is seeking restitution of a painting they believe is a lost Rubens work, looted by Nazis during World War II. However, an expert has cast doubt on the claim, arguing the painting is a copy because it lacks a distinctive detail found in the original: a urinating cow. The dispute has shifted focus to this missing element, complicating the family's efforts to recover the artwork.

newspaper New York Times Art open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 26, 2026 visibility 4

Long-Lost Lucas Valdés Paintings Resurface at Auction Amid Spain’s Restitution Battles

Spanish police have recovered two 17th-century paintings by Sevillian artist Lucas Valdés that went missing nearly a century ago after being loaned to the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition in Seville. The oval oil-on-pine-panel works, originally part of the main altarpiece at the Hospital of the Venerable Priests, resurfaced when consigned for auction in September 2025. Alerted by the Archdiocese of Seville, Spain's Culture Ministry and National Police intervened before the sale, confirmed the works' identity, and negotiated their return to the hospital last week.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 19 link 3 artists

Une souscription pour la Maison-atelier Lurçat

The Académie des beaux-arts has launched a subscription campaign to acquire a monumental tapestry by Jean Lurçat, recently rediscovered by Christie's. The tapestry, titled *Bestiaire* (1930), measures 3 by 6.45 meters and was originally created for the artist's home-studio in Paris's 14th arrondissement. It will be publicly unveiled at Christie's Paris on May 6–7, 2025, before a private sale between the Académie and the auction house for €110,000. Donations are being collected online or by check to fund the purchase.

newspaper La Tribune de l Art open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 25, 2026 visibility 4

Long-Lost 17th-Century Altarpiece Paintings Recovered After Nearly 100 Years

Spanish police have recovered two long-lost 17th-century altarpiece paintings by Baroque painter Lucas Valdés, which disappeared after being shown at the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition of Seville. The works, depicting Old Testament scenes, were identified in an auction house catalog in September 2025, authenticated by the Spanish Historical Heritage Brigade, and returned to the Hospital of the Venerable Priests in Seville on May 20, 2026, after a mediation process with the consignors.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original