A LONG-AWAITED HOMECOMING
U.S. Returns German Paintings Stolen in WWII
02/10/06
 |
| Dr.
Bernhard Matheis (left) Lord Mayor of
the city of Pirmasens, accepts the recovered
paintings from the U.S. Ambassador of
Germany William R. Timken, Jr. Also shown
is FBI official Eric B. Ives (right). |
They
were casualties of war-three nineteenth-century
oil paintings that went missing from a German
air-raid shelter during the waning days of
World War II.
Now,
after more than six decades on the lam, these
cultural treasures are safely back home in
the Pirmasens, Germany, museum where they
were last displayed.
On
Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Germany William
Timken presented the Heinrich Bürkel
paintings to the Lord Mayor of Pirmasens,
Dr. Bernhard Matheis. Joining them for the
ceremony were other Pirmasens officials, representatives
from the German government, and U.S. diplomats,
along with Eric Ives, who heads our Art Theft
program in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia
Division Special Agent Bob Wittman, FBI Art
Crime Team senior investigator.
"We're
thrilled that these priceless works of art
are back in the hands of the German people,"
said Ives. "Our Art Crime Team was just
happy to be able to play a small part in recovering
the paintings and facilitating their return
to their rightful owners."
Here's
what we know about the journeys of the paintings
over the years:
Early
to mid-1800s: Burkel paints "After
the Hunt" (circa 1830), "Amalfi
Cave" (circa 1845), and "The Horse
Round-up" (circa 1861-1863).
1925:
All three paintings are acquired and subsequently
exhibited by the Pirmasens Museum in Germany.
May
13, 1942: To avoid Allied bombings, the
paintings were taken to a local air-raid shelter
outside of Pirmasens.
September
19, 1945: The museum reports that "about
50 paintings which had been stored in the
air-raid shelter at Husterhoh School during
the war have been lost during the arrival
of the American troops on March 22, 1945."
The works were later smuggled to the U.S.
by unknown individuals.
Mid-1960s:
A New Jersey man purchases the paintings.
Late
1980s: The paintings are handed down to
the man's daughter.
October
25, 2005: The William H. Bunch Auction
and Appraisal Company in Pennsylvania advertises
the sale of the paintings on the Internet
and through the print media. Heike Wittmer,
Pirmasens Museum Director and Archivist, spots
the paintings for sale and alerts German authorities.
U.S. Embassy officials contact the FBI, which
halts the sale and takes custody of the paintings
from the consignor, who voluntarily agrees
to their return to Germany.
February
10, 2006: The paintings are repatriated
to Germany by the U.S.
For
more information on the event, including the
press release, photos of the paintings, and
other background, see the press
kit on the website of the U.S. Embassy in
Germany.
For
more details on the FBI's continuing efforts
to recover art and cultural property, see
our Art
Theft Program webpage.
