Tate Britain to Return a Nazi-Looted Painting
Tate, the premier destination of modern art Gallery is planning to return a 17th Century artwork to the descendants of a Jewish Belgian art collector, following its confiscation by the Nazis during World War Two. The action comes after an investigation conducted by the Belgian journalist Geert Sels.
The heirs and great-grandchildren of art collector Samuel Hartveld will be the painting’s recipients. Hartveld left the painting in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1940 while escaping the country with his wife, Clara Meiboom. A date for the restitution has yet to be established.
The Painting Looted by the Nazis
The painting in question is the 1654 oil painting by artist Henry Gibbs. Titled Aeneas And His Family Fleeing Burning Troy, it was seized by the Nazis as “an act of racial persecution,” according to the Spoliation Advisory Panel, which investigates cases of looted artworks.
The Gibbs original illustrates scenes from Virgil’s epic Latin poem The Aeneid. The Trojan hero Aeneas is seen attempting to save his family from Troy, engulfed in flames. He later journeyed to Italy, where he forefathers the Romans. Some say that it is an accurate commentary on the English Civil War as its imagery of destruction and family separations resonated closely with the period’s experiences.
The Mysterious Journey of The Henry Gibbs Painting
The Nazi-looted painting is currently in Tate Britain’s custody, although it is shelved for now. Tate acquired the painting from the Galerie Jan de Maere in Brussels in 1994, after Rene van den Broeck purchased Hartveld’s collection and property for a negligible amount.
Courtesy – Tate Photography
Despite surviving WWII, Hartveld never reunited with his humungous artwork collection, which was then spread throughout European galleries. The Nazis took the artworks. They were gifted to high-ranking officials or showcased in the Fuehrermuseum (Leader’s Museum). As WWII came to an end, the United States deployed teams of museum directors, curators, and art specialists to Europe to recover cultural artefacts.
The Holocaust Era Assets Conference, Czech Republic noted that by 2009, of the 650,000 stolen pieces, approximately 100,000 had not yet been returned.
Why is Tate Returning The Nazi-Looted Painting?
Sonia Klein established the Sonia Klein Trust in 1986. She was identified in a will as the daughter of Clara, the widow of Hartveld, who passed away in 1951. In May 2024, they filed a formal claim against Tate Britain. The restitution process was slow albeit successful. However, it was filled with legal disputes and complex international searches.
Ms. Klein’s daughter Eliana preceded her in death, and her grandchildren, Barbara, Daniel, and Mark Floersheimer, serve as the Foundation’s trustees. On Tate’s decision to return the painting, the trustees acknowledged the “terrible Nazi persecution of Samuel Hartveld.”
Maria Balshaw on the 17th Century Painting at Tate Britain
Tate Britain’s Director, Maria Balshaw noted that it was “a profound privilege to help reunite this work with its rightful heirs. I am delighted to see the spoliation process working successfully to make this happen. Although the artwork’s provenance was extensively investigated when it was acquired in 1994, crucial facts concerning previous ownership of the painting were not known.”
Sir Chris Bryant on the Nazi-Looted Painting
As reported by BBC, Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant complimented the panel for “helping to reunite families with their most treasured possessions that were looted by the Nazis. The decision to return the painting to the heirs of Samuel Hartveld and his wife is the right decision, which I welcome wholeheartedly.”
The Sonia Klein Foundation on the Restitution
Hatveld’s heirs exclaimed in a report by The Times of Israel, “This decision acknowledges the awful Nazi persecution of Samuel Hartveld and that the ‘clearly looted’ painting belonged to Mr Hartveld, a Jewish Belgian art collector and dealer.”
Spoliation Advisory Panel on the Restitution Attempts by Tate
The panel approved Tate’s decision to return the Nazi-looted painting, “The legal and moral claims to restitution of this painting by the great-grandchildren and heirs of Samuel Hartveld, who was forced to flee his homeland, leaving behind his property, books and art collection, are obvious. The property, library and the paintings in his gallery were looted as an act of racial persecution.” – Guardian.
Image Courtesy – El Pais
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