Posted on: March 18, 2015 by Nina M. Neuhaus
New developments in causa Gurlitt: The Museum of Fine Arts Bern applied for a certificate of inheritance with the Probate Court in Munich. With this application, the Museum seeks confirmation from the Court that it is the sole legal heir of Cornelius Gurlitt – as it was stated in his will of 9th January 2014. [See […]
Posted on: February 18, 2015 by Nina M. Neuhaus
Despite the best efforts of transacting art market participants, gaps in provenance and unknowable information often cause legal uncertainty. How can art market participants protect themselves against the financial damage arising from title risks? I discussed this with Judith Pearson, who is the co-founder and President of ARIS Title Insurance Corporation, the leading art title […]
Posted on: February 11, 2015 by Nina M. Neuhaus
The Swiss police have seized a 61 x 45.5cm oil painting depicting the marquise Isabella d’Este from a vault of a trust company in Lugano, the southern part of Switzerland bordering Italy. Isabella d’Este, an influential figure in arts and politics during the Italian Renaissance, allegedly commissioned the portrait from Leonardo da Vinci. The portrait, […]
Posted on: January 14, 2015 by Nina M. Neuhaus
On 17 December 2014, the Swiss Federal Council extended the existing sanctions against Syria by introducing a trade ban on cultural objects which were stolen or illegally exported from Syria. The EU had introduced a similar trade ban on 13 December 2013. According to Article 11c, which was inserted by the EU Council Regulation No 1332/2013 […]
Posted on: December 24, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
The Swiss Customs Authorities at the Basel Airport discovered the 47cm tall statue in an inconspicuous parcel that was sent from the UK to a private individual in Switzerland. They immediately informed the Specialised Body for the International Transfer of Cultural Property at the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (‘Specialised Body’) of their discovery. The […]
Posted on: December 10, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
Have you ever wondered what archaeologists think about illegal excavations and looting – and how best to tackle them? Well I did and so I asked Kathryn R. Morgan, a staff member at the University of Chicago’s Neubauer Expedition to Zincirli and the University of Pennsylvania’s Gordion project. Kathryn is a Ph.D. student at the […]
Posted on: November 27, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
The news coverage of the Causa Gurlitt has almost exclusively focused on the Museum of Fine Arts Bern’s decision to accept the bequest. A statement issued by the Probate Court in Munich (Nachlassgericht München) on the same date has drawn little attention. The Probate Court announced that on 21st November 2014, at 7.16 pm, Cornelius […]
Posted on: November 24, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
Alea iacta est… The decision in the Causa Gurlitt was highly anticipated. On Saturday, the board of trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts Bern (‘Museum’) decided to accept the bequest of the late Cornelius Gurlitt. This morning, the decision was publicly announced in a joint press meeting by the German government, the State of […]
Posted on: November 20, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
On 26th November, the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts Bern will decide whether to accept the bequest of Cornelius Gurlitt. Unexpectedly, one of Gurlitt’s two cousins, Uta Werner, has threatened to challenge the will. Her claim is based on a psychiatric report, which she had commissioned from Dr Helmut Hausner, chief physician at […]
Posted on: September 14, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
The dispute over the Swiss charitable foundation for art, culture and history (Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, ‘SKKG’) has taken a new turn. Bettina Stefanini, daughter of SKKG founder Bruno Stefanini has filed a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor against the Chairman and three other members of the board of trustees, but excluding […]