- The national administration is restoring Nazi-period artworks created by Carl Blechen.
A piece of artwork by German painter Carl Blechen, taken during the Nazi regime's looting spree, has been returned to its rightful owners. This was disclosed by the Federal Art Administration. The artwork, entitled "The Mill Valley near Amalfi," was previously owned by Edgar Moor (1912-1994). He was the nephew of two Jewish brothers, Arthur and Eugen Goldschmidt, whose art collection was plundered by the Nazis in Berlin.
After the November pogroms in 1938, the brothers tragically took their own lives. Their Jewish nephew and heir, Edgar Moor, fled to the United States via Johannesburg. The art collection was left in their Berlin apartment, which was later raided by the Gestapo in July 1942.
The "The Mill Valley near Amalfi" was destined for Hitler's "Fuhrer Museum."
Born in Cottbus and passing away in Berlin, Carl Blechen (1798-1840) was a prominent 19th-century German landscape painter, often compared to Caspar David Friedrich. The last time "The Mill Valley near Amalfi" was displayed was on loan from the German Federal Government by the Stiftung Fürst-Pückler-Museum – Park and Castle Branitz in Cottbus.
Hitler aimed to exhibit this piece, along with others, in his proposed "Fuhrer Museum" post-WWII. It's thought to have been taken from the Führerbau in 1945, according to the Federal Art Administration's statement. Ultimately, it found its way into the possession of the German Federal Government through the Munich Criminal Police.
The restitution came about due to research conducted by the Federal Art Administration and the "OFP project" at the Brandenburg State Archives, funded by Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth. This project investigates files from the Oberfinanzpräsident (OFP), a financial authority that exploited assets belonging to individuals persecuted as Jewish or "enemies of the state" during the Nazi era.
The Goldschmidt brothers' art collection, which included "The Mill Valley near Amalfi," was a target of the Nazis due to their Jewish heritage. After Edgar Moor's escape to the United States of America, the piece was displayed at the proposed "Fuhrer Museum" in Hitler's vision.
