Swiss Museum Nears Agreement on Nazi-Era Art Trove

A museum in Switzerland’s capital could agree as soon as Saturday to a bequest of more than 1,000 works from the son of a Nazi-era art dealer, potentially speeding restitution of pieces to the heirs of Holocaust victims, The Wall Street Journal reports. Sources familiar with the Kunstmuseum Bern board’s discussions say that barring last-minute legal objections it will accept the estate of Cornelius Gurlitt, which historians and lawyers have determined contains works looted from European Jews by the Nazis.

Mr. Gurlitt bequeathed the collections to the museum shortly before his death in May at age 81, stipulating in his will that the institution carry out research and restitution to former owners’ families. The return process for some works could begin within days of the museum’s agreement to accept the bequest. The collection, which includes works by Monet, Matisse, and Renoir, was amassed by Mr. Gurlitt’s father, Hildebrand, a museum director who become an art dealer to Adolf Hitler.