Three artworks believed to have been stolen during the Holocaust from a Jewish art collector and entertainer have been seized by New York law enforcement authorities. These artworks, created by Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele, were previously owned by Fritz Grünbaum, a cabaret performer and songwriter who died at the Dachau concentration camp in 1941.
Law enforcement authorities seized the art on Wednesday from the Art Institute of Chicago, the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, and the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College in Ohio. The office of the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, issued warrants stating that there is reasonable cause to believe that the three artworks are stolen property.
The three seized works, along with others from Grünbaum’s collection, are already the subject of civil litigation filed by his heirs. They believe that Grünbaum was forced to give up ownership of his artworks under duress.
Manhattan prosecutors argue that they have jurisdiction in all of these cases because the artworks were bought and sold by Manhattan art dealers at some point.
Fritz Grünbaum, the son of a Jewish art dealer, initially studied law but eventually pursued a career in cabarets in Vienna. By the time Adolf Hitler came to power, Grünbaum was a well-known performer in Vienna and Berlin. He used his work to challenge the Nazi authorities, making remarks like, “I can’t see a thing, not a single thing; I must have stumbled into national socialist culture.”
Grünbaum was arrested in 1938 and sent to Dachau. Despite being gravely ill, he performed one last time for fellow inmates on New Year’s Eve 1940 and passed away on January 14, 1941.
The three seized artworks, which are currently valued at $1.25 million, $1 million, and $1.5 million respectively, will remain at the museums until they can be transported to the district attorney’s office.
The Art Institute of Chicago stated that it is confident in its legal acquisition and lawful possession of one of the seized works. They argue that this artwork is the subject of civil litigation in federal court and that they are defending their legal ownership. The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh also expressed their commitment to acting ethically and legally and stated that they will cooperate with the authorities. Oberlin College, in a statement, asserted that they legally acquired the artwork in question and are cooperating with investigators.
Prior to the issuance of these warrants, Grünbaum’s heirs had filed civil claims against the three museums and other defendants, seeking the return of allegedly looted artworks. In 2018, they achieved a victory when a New York judge ruled in their favor, stating that two works by Schiele had to be returned to Grünbaum’s heirs. The judge dismissed the argument made by a London art dealer, who claimed to be the rightful owner, by stating that there was no evidence of voluntary transfer of ownership.
Raymond Dowd, the attorney representing the heirs in their civil proceedings, directed questions about the seizure to the district attorney’s office. These recent actions by Bragg’s office follow previous seizures of alleged looted antiquities from museums in Cleveland and Worcester, Massachusetts. The district attorney’s spokesperson, Douglas Cohen, declined to comment on the seized artworks, citing an ongoing investigation.
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