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News & ArtsWednesday, January 27, 2010
Visual Art Oh, Austria's Gonna Fight This One
Posted by Jen Graves on Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Austria already lost its prized Klimts thanks to that inconvenient Holocaust thing. Now the heirs of a family that sold one of the most famous paintings in the world to Adolf Hitler wants Austria to return their Vermeer. It's this one.
- Johannes Vermeer, The Art of Painting, c. 1666-73; oil on canvas, 130 by 110 cm; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
I mean, did anybody ever sell anything to the Führer not under duress? He paid less than the buyer who was going to take the Vermeer at the time—and, amazingly, the original buyer was supposed to be Andrew Mellon. The Art of Painting would be in this country if it weren't for Hitler!
1
To hell with Godwin and his law... some references to Hitler in historical context are just too goddamn interesting to pass up.
2
For a great art history read try: The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century by Edward Dolnick. It is a wonderful account of the 20th century kitsch painter Van Meegeren's plot to aggrandize himself by creating forged Vermeers to sell to the Nazi's and others.
3
For a really wonderful art-hisory read try: The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century
It is an account of a popular but critically panned 20th century painter's revenge on the Dutch art establishment.
It is an account of a popular but critically panned 20th century painter's revenge on the Dutch art establishment.
4
Doesn't this kind of muddy the issue? The problem with the Nazi art hoard isn't that the Nazis were bad guys, it's that they STOLE IT. This one was paid for. Are they going to give the money back, too, with 70 years of interest?
I'm also unthrilled with the idea of Austria being forced to vastly enrich some degenerate Euro aristo countess. If they give it to her, I hope they bill her for 80% of its current value as an estate tax on her daddy.
I'm also unthrilled with the idea of Austria being forced to vastly enrich some degenerate Euro aristo countess. If they give it to her, I hope they bill her for 80% of its current value as an estate tax on her daddy.
5
Jen,
You pose an interesting question. It is only a small part of the problem of art and its provenance before, during and after WWII. I recall the problem SAM had with Matisse's "Odalisque" which had to be returned to the heirs of the original owner(s). Sure, it's justified but there are scammers involved in these kind of investigations/transactions. Obtaining a genuine Vermeer would be a coup as he is a Dutch Master and painted relatively few paintings. One, "The Concert" remains missing from the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum in Massachusetts where it was stolen from in 1990. These paintings are prized for their value.
You pose an interesting question. It is only a small part of the problem of art and its provenance before, during and after WWII. I recall the problem SAM had with Matisse's "Odalisque" which had to be returned to the heirs of the original owner(s). Sure, it's justified but there are scammers involved in these kind of investigations/transactions. Obtaining a genuine Vermeer would be a coup as he is a Dutch Master and painted relatively few paintings. One, "The Concert" remains missing from the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum in Massachusetts where it was stolen from in 1990. These paintings are prized for their value.
6
The story of Han van Meegeren is a fascinating one. He's the forger referenced above, who made his career forging Dutch masters and Mermeers in particular. What's amazing is that he essentially invented an entire lost biblical period for Vermeer and filled it out with enough skill to bamboozle a pretty wide swath of the art world. One of his paintings even winded up in Goering's hands. I haven't read the book above, but The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez was an excellent read.
7
They should offer to let her buy it back for the original price plus inflation. I bet that'll shut her up right quick.
8
It's a pity that the back-story can take away from the beauty and genius of Vermeer's work. He didn't paint objects, he painted light, and the air that carried that light.
10
So, if it hadn't been sold to Hitler "under duress", and below market value (albeit more than he'd ever paid for a piece), they were prepared to sell it to someone acting on behalf of Goering, who was willing to pay a premium for it?
11
@7, the problem is, the painting has appreciated far more than inflation. She could turn around and sell it for what, a hundred times what she'd have to pay?
12
Try The Rape of Europa. Interesting look at how the Third Reich (officially) regarded art and how they disrupted the art world.
13
Oh, and regarding this mess, I'm rather unimpressed by most of these claims, especially for paintings that are housed in public national museums.
I prefer the idea of a government taking care of a heritage that does now belong to everyone. What's more, art should be shared, not squirrelled away in a private vault. I always find it so sad when news comes up about paintings coming up for auction for the first time in 30 years and this may be the last time to see it for another 30, etc. etc.
I prefer the idea of a government taking care of a heritage that does now belong to everyone. What's more, art should be shared, not squirrelled away in a private vault. I always find it so sad when news comes up about paintings coming up for auction for the first time in 30 years and this may be the last time to see it for another 30, etc. etc.
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