Bern Museum Accepts Bequest of Nazi-Era Art Collection

An art museum in the Swiss capital said Monday that it has agreed to accept a trove of works bequeathed by the son of a Nazi-era art dealer that is believed to include hundreds of pieces looted from Jewish families, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg report. Kunstmuseum Bern pledged to cooperate with a German government effort to return works found to have been stolen and to exhibit only those shown to have been legitimately acquired.

The collection of more than 1,400 modernist paintings, prints, and sketches was inherited by Cornelius Gurlitt from his father, who was authorized by Adolf Hitler to sell art abroad, and has been valued at some $1.2-billion. Before his death last year, Mr. Gurlitt reached an agreement with German officials stipulating that works found to have been looted be returned to their owners’ heirs. A task force set up by the German federal and Bavarian state governments is investigating the provenance of nearly 1,000 pieces. The museum’s decision was welcomed by families seeking restitution and by Ronald Lauder, head of the World Jewish Congress.