Karl Hofer's 'Paar am Fenster' Returns to Lübeck's Museum Behnhaus Drägerhaus After Nazi-Era Seizure

The Museum Behnhaus Drägerhaus in Lübeck has successfully repurchased Karl Hofer's 1925 artwork 'Paar am Fenster,' which was previously part of its collection until it was seized in 1937 during the Nazi 'Degenerate Art' initiative. The acquisition is backed by €54,167 from the Kulturstiftung der Länder. Originally obtained by museum director Carl Georg Heise in 1927, the painting was stored at Schloss Schönhausen after its confiscation and later sold to industrialist Walter Albert Bauer in Fulda. It has remained with the Bauer family and is set to be auctioned in 2025. The museum intends to investigate the provenance of confiscated artworks, with additional support from the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung. Christine Regus highlighted the crucial role of museum directors in contemporary art history.