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Art Institute of Chicago to restitute Metzinger painting
The Art Institute of Chicago has announced the restitution of Jean Metzinger’s 1913 Cubist painting, 'Woman With a Fan', to the heirs of Emanuel Lewenstein, a Jewish art collector.
The decision follows research indicating the work was likely a forced sale resulting from Nazi persecution. The painting was auctioned in Amsterdam in October 1940, months after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands. While the specific identity of the person who consigned the work for auction remains unknown, the museum concluded the sale was made under pressure or via confiscation.
The connection to the Lewenstein family was established through infrared photography, which revealed faint, nearly illegible pencil marks on the back of the canvas. These marks identified Paul Citroen, a dealer and relative of Lewenstein, who had previously acquired the work.
The Art Institute acquired the painting in 1959 from a New York gallery. The museum is currently arranging the physical transfer of ownership to the heirs.
Entities
Art Institute of Chicago · Emanuel Lewenstein · Jacques Schuhmacher · Jean Metzinger · Paul Citroen
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Art Institute of Chicago will return the painting 'Woman With a Fan' to the heirs of Emanuel Lewenstein. www.europesays.com · malen-lernen.org · artincontext.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] The museum views the October 1940 Amsterdam auction as a forced sale resulting from Nazi persecution. www.europesays.com · malen-lernen.org · artincontext.org
- [● 2 SOURCES] The museum acquired the painting in 1959 from a gallery in New York. www.europesays.com · artincontext.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] Infrared photography revealed faint pencil marks on the back of the canvas that helped establish a connection to the Lewenstein family. www.europesays.com · malen-lernen.org · artincontext.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] The identity of the person who consigned the painting for the 1940 auction remains unknown. www.europesays.com · malen-lernen.org · artincontext.org