Proceeds with sale of painting despite questions surrounding its Nazi era past
February 9, 2011, Montreal – The executors and the three university beneficiaries of the Estate of Dr. Max Stern continue to encounter resistance from Lempertz Auction House in Cologne, Germany over the claim to an Old Master work in the company’s possession.
A painting by Alexander Adriaenssen (1587-1661) is at the centre of this ongoing dispute. “Fish still life, shellfish, perch, pike, oyster and cat” was identified by the Art Loss Register as being of questionable origin. In 2009 the Estate asked Lempertz to pull the painting from sale and work together to perform the required due diligence on the provenance and identification of what is believed to be the same painting lost to Dr. Stern at the hands of the Nazis through a forced sale in 1937 at the same auction house.
Stern Project researchers received the opinion of the world authority on the artist that the painting sold in 1937 and the one currently with Lempertz were one and the same.
Following rigorous research by the Holocaust Claims Processing Office of the State of New York Banking Department, it was also discovered that prior to its arrival at the Galerie Stern in Dusseldorf, the painting was in the collection of Otto Jourdan in Frankfurt. It was clearly established that the verso of paintings in the Jourdan Collection all bore a very distinct identification label. On the Adriaenssen painting currently with Lempertz, there is a visible faded area where a label once was affixed which is a perfect match in location, size and shape with the Jourdan Collection labels. It is unclear when this label was removed and why.
This important finding and other consistencies surrounding the subject matter, artist’s signature and precise measurements, lead the Estate to believe there is little doubt the painting is the same one that was auctioned off in the forced sale.
In spite of this recent discovery and its communication to authorities at Lempertz, the Estate has learned that the auction house maintains the position that it possesses a different painting and is selling it. It is uncertain whether their buyer is aware of the unresolved issues surrounding the claim on the work.
Since 2008, when the Estate recovered a painting formerly in the collection of German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, considerable inroads have been made with representatives of German private, public and corporate collections harbouring Stern paintings looted during the Nazi period. While the Estate is looking forward to making positive announcements this year in Germany with regard to other claims, it finds the position that Lempertz has taken in regard to the Adriaenssen matter disappointing and highly questionable.
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Source:
Fiona Downey
Media Relations Advisor
Concordia University Media Relations
Phone: 514-848-2424, ext. 2518
Cell: 514-518-3336
Fax: 514-848-3383
Email: fdowney@alcor.concordia.ca
