Amsterdam Museum Pays Special Tribute to Portrait Painter of Dutch Golden Age
MONTREAL, 24 October 2011 -- Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, acting on behalf of the executors of the Estate of Dr. Max Stern and its three university beneficiaries (Concordia, McGill University/Montreal, Hebrew University/Jerusalem) announces the restitution of a painting belonging to the German-Jewish art dealer. The return of The Masters of the Goldsmith Guild in Amsterdam in 1701 by Dutch portrait painter, Juriaen Pool II (1665-1745), will take place on Tuesday, October 25, 2011, at 10 a.m. (Central European Time) at the Amsterdam Museum, St Luciënsteeg 27, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The location for the ceremony is particularly significant as the Dutch museum has just opened a children’s wing in a space that was once occupied by the very orphanage in which Juriaen Pool was raised. The figure of this artist from the Dutch Golden Age now serves as a “guide” for visitors through the exhibitions. Pool married Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750) – one of the most prominent women artists of the time. The couple became court painters to the Elector Palatine, Johann Wilhelm.
The Pool painting is the ninth Nazi-looted artwork to be returned to the university heirs. It was learned that this large-scale painting of some of Amsterdam’s most important citizens had been with the Galerie Stern in Düsseldorf as late as 1937, when it moved to the Galerie Heinemann in Wiesbaden. In the years after the Second World War it was acquired by a casino in southern Germany, where it has been ever since.
In 2004, Sotheby’s contacted representatives of the Max Stern Art Restitution Project regarding the status of the painting. During six years of rigorous research which included the discovery of key archival records in the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD), the Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) of the New York State Department of Financial Services pressed for its restitution.
“We are extremely grateful to all the important stakeholders — the HCPO, the RKD and Sotheby’s — who were critical to the restitution of this work from a German corporate collection,” says Frederick Lowy, President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. “We are in ongoing discussions with a number of German museums regarding works they hold that were taken from the Stern collection, and remain hopeful that more good news will follow.”
Dr. Max Stern (1904-1987) was forced to dissolve his Düsseldorf art gallery during the Nazi period. Following the Second World War, he settled permanently in Montreal, Canada where he became one of the country’s most important art dealers and collectors. He bequeathed the bulk of his estate to three major universities. The Max Stern Art Restitution Project is spearheaded by Concordia through the Office of the President, working in close collaboration with the HCPO as well as with numerous institutions and government agencies worldwide including the Art Loss Register, Interpol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Media Contact:
Dr. Clarence Epstein
Director, Special Projects/Cultural Affairs
Office of the President
Concordia University
Clarence.epstein@concordia.ca
Related links:
- Max Stern Art Restitution Project
- To view The Masters of the Goldsmith Guild in Amsterdam in 1701 in high resolution, please click here.
Please note: if you experience any difficulty downloading the high-resolution photo of the artwork via the link above, please contact: mediarel@alcor.concordia.ca
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
