The Henie Onstad Art Center in Norway announced Thursday that it would return the Nazi looted Henri Matisse painting, “Woman in Blue in Front of a Fireplace,” back to the family of original owner Paul Rosenberg.
The Associated Press reports that the 1937 painting was taken by Hermann Goering after Rosenberg fled to New York at the outbreak of World War II. Neils Onstad, and wife Sonja Henie of Olympic fame, acquired the painting in 1950 with no knowledge of its origins. It’s been on display in their museum since 1968, but now the museum has "chosen to adhere to international conventions and return the painting to Rosenberg's heirs,” according to a press statement.
According to BBC News, Matisse’s work was one of 162 taken from Rosenberg’s collection. The Jewish Conference estimates that over 650,000 pieces of art were taken by the Nazi looting squad called the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg. A recent cache of 1,500 pieces of art was recently found in Munich, and is considered by most just “the tip of the iceberg.”
The Matisse piece is estimated to be worth around $20 million. Rosenberg represented both Matisse and Picasso back in the day, creating his illustrious collection.
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