Feldmann Drawings decision
The Trustees of the British Museum welcome the decision of the
Spoliation Advisory Panel on the case of the four drawings in
the British Museum from the collection of Dr Arthur Feldmann. Mr
Peled, Dr Feldmann's heir, and the British Museum had jointly
proposed to the panel that Mr Peled should receive compensation for
the loss of the drawings, and that the drawings should remain in
the British Museum collection. The panel has recommended that Mr
Peled should receive an ex gratia payment from the
government.
Mr Peled said "On behalf of Dr Feldmann's heirs, I would like to
express our delight that these drawings are remaining in the
British Museum . We are sure that this is what our grandfather
would have wanted, for them to be available to the public and for
future research. We also want to express our thanks to the British
people for offering shelter to those fleeing from the Nazis. We owe
our lives to them. I want to make it clear, since the summary of
events in paragraphs 5 and 6 of the report does not, that we, the
claimants, decided to pursue this claim on our own account because
we felt strongly that the drawings ought to remain in the British
Museum, whatever the British Courts or Parliament may decide about
the powers of UK museums and galleries to return art looted by the
Nazis."
The Old Master drawings were wrongfully seized by the Gestapo
from the late Dr Feldmann on 15 March 1939 . Three of the drawings
entered the Museum's collection through a sale at Sotheby's in
1946, the St Dorothy was part of a substantial bequest to the
Museum in 1949. The drawings are:
(a) Niccolò dell'Abbate ; The Holy
Family ; BM reg. no: 1946-11-16-1
(b) Nicholas Blakey ; An Allegory on Poetic
Inspiration with Mercury and Apollo ; BM reg. no:
1946-11-16-2
(c) Martin Johann Schmidt ; Virgin and
infant Christ, adored by St Elizabeth and the infant St
John; BM reg. no: 1946-11-16-3
(d) Follower of Martin Schongauer ; St
Dorothy with the Christ Child ; BM reg. no: 1949-4-11-98
Notes to Editors:
- The Trustees of the British Museum
recognised the moral claim of Dr Feldmann's heirs to the drawings
shortly after the first claim was made in 2002. They recognised the
exceptional circumstances of the Holocaust in Europe between 1933
and 1945, and that objects stolen from their owners in this period
have a unique status. Since 2002 the Trustees have sought to find
ways of meeting the claim, through the High Court and the
Spoliation Advisory Panel.
- The ex gratia payment figure has been set
by the Spoliation Advisory Panel as a result of independent advice
commissioned by them. The panel's recommendation is that the
government should cover this cost as no legal liability or moral
blame rests with the British Museum.
- The drawings are part of the British
Museum 's Prints and Drawings department. The always available to
view via the student's room. A display on the drawings is planned
for later this year.
On the issue of WWII Provenance and spoliation research, see the
Cultural Property Advice website
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