Rape of Europa 5

The point, the argument, and the cases were muddled in this recap of Nazi art looting. What the Nazis did was despicable, of course, but the case of a distant heir against a good-faith purchaser (or beneficiary) is not a case of good v. evil, and the film never recognized this. Whether Klimt’s portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer should be in an Austrian national museum or Ronald Lauder’s Neue Gallerie depends, probably, on whether you live in Vienna or New York. And even the Austrian courts think this thing has been carried too far, as they have now denied a similar claim for a sixth painting.

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *