The time has come: After months of delay, Franz Marc's "Foxes", worth millions, are going back to the heirs of the former Jewish owner. This was preceded by a year-long dispute over looted art.
The way for the return of the valuable painting "The Foxes" by Franz Marc to the heirs of the former Jewish owner is clear: the city of Düsseldorf and the community of heirs had reached a return agreement, the city announced on Wednesday on request.
This means that the painting, estimated at at least 14 million euros and one of the top works in the municipal art palace, can now be returned. The picture had already been examined by several auction houses on behalf of the community of heirs, it said.
Returned from the Düsseldorf museum after months of delays
At the same time, preparations were made for the handover, "which can take place at any time at a time to be specified by the community of heirs". Mayor Stephan Keller (CDU) explained: "We have fulfilled our responsibility as the state capital of Düsseldorf." This was preceded by a months-long legal tug of war.
The Marc painting was donated to Düsseldorf in 1962 and is now in the Museum Kunstpalast. At the end of April, the city council decided to return the Expressionist masterpiece to the heirs of Kurt Grawi (1887-1944), who was persecuted by the National Socialists, after years of fighting over looted art.
The local parliament had followed a recommendation from the Advisory Commission on Looted Art Cases. The return was delayed first because of a criminal complaint and then because of a donation law review by the city of Düsseldorf. The heiress entitled to claim in the Grawi case is 92 years old.
