Jewish collector’s heirs want US painting on loan in Germany

An impressionist painting from an American museum on loan in Germany has become the focus of attention because of allegations it may have been looted by the Nazis from a Jewish art collector.

The Barberini Museum in Potsdam, near Berlin, says the heirs of the Jewish collector are claiming ownership of Henri-Edmond Cross’ “Regatta in Venice” from 1903/04, which is on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas.

German daily Bild first reported that the purported heirs of Jewish-French collector Gaston Levy have filed a complaint in Potsdam state court demanding the return of the painting.

The Barberini Museum confirmed the court’s involvement and said it was in touch with the Houston museum and that both “see the clarification of the legitimate owner as an urgent obligation.”

— AP