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Nazi-Stolen Art Returned After Decades
2 Sep
Summary
- An 1847 miniature painting stolen by Nazis was returned to its heir.
- The artwork was recovered through Austria's art restitution efforts.
- The painting symbolizes hope and acknowledges historical responsibility.
A small 1847 watercolour miniature, stolen by Nazis from Eduard Epstein's collection in Vienna, has been returned to his heir, Jackie Sondell. The artwork, depicting an Austrian nobleman, was recovered as part of Austria's ongoing efforts to restitute art looted during the Holocaust.
Epstein, a Jewish merchant and art collector, had his business liquidated and valuables seized after the Nazi takeover of Austria in 1938. He was imprisoned for attempting to sell his art and later fled to America, dying in 1943. His family lost track of his extensive art collection.
Identified in 2013 at the Museum of Military History in Vienna, the miniature painting was submitted to an art restitution board. After a government representative tracked down Sondell, an Austrian diplomat personally delivered the painting to her in Minnesota.
Sondell expressed deep emotion, viewing the painting's return as a symbol of hope and a significant gesture acknowledging Austria's historical responsibility. The restitution aims to honor individual Jewish lives tragically affected by the Holocaust, recognizing that while lost lives cannot be restored, such efforts are meaningful.
