Munich's Pinakothek Restitutes Nazi-Era Painting by Lesser Ury to Rightful Heirs

The Pinakothek museums in Munich have returned a work by German-Jewish Impressionist painter Lesser Ury that was sold under pressure during the Nazi period. The painting, titled 'Interior with Children (The Siblings)', originally belonged to Berlin banker Curt Goldschmidt. His family's financial institution failed due to National Socialist economic policies, compelling them to liquidate assets including this artwork. It sold for approximately 800 Reichsmarks in the 1930s. Goldschmidt escaped to Paris in 1937, surviving the German occupation in concealment until his death a decade later. The artwork later appeared at a Cologne auction house in 1940 with documentation labeling it as originating from 'non-Aryan ownership'. The Bavarian State Painting Collections obtained the piece in 1972. Bavaria's art minister Markus Blume stated that Goldschmidt's experience reflects that of many Jewish collectors who were stripped of their possessions and forced to flee for survival. Anton Biebl, director of the institution, described the restitution as recognizing the artwork's dual Jewish lineage—from its maker to its owners—and its confiscation through persecution. This action represents ongoing efforts within Bavarian museums to address art looted during the Nazi era, an area where progress has often been slow. The news was initially covered by the publication Monopol.