The Wall Street Journal summarizes the deathbed agreement of Cornelius Gurlitt to relinquish his collection of Nazi-looted art works, including the exchange of national pressures, personal politics and legal wrangling that ultimate led Gurlitt to sign the works over to Bern’s Kunstmuseum without notifying the museum directly until after Gurlitt’s death last week.  “It all went a bit crazy,” says museum director Mathias Frehner. (more…)

An agreement between Cornelius Gurlitt and the German government was announced on Monday, which gives state-appointed investigators one year to analyze the works seized from Mr. Gurlitt’s home.  The deal bypasses the German statute of limitations for stolen property (30 years), and shows the government’s increased willingness to deal with claims over works looted during the Nazi era.  “We are dealing with a top-class team of experts, and given Mr. Gurlitt’s advanced age and frail health, it can be expected that they should be able to complete their work within this time frame,” says spokesman Stephan Holzinger. (more…)

In response to heated demands by Jewish political groups and advocates, the German government has disclosed information on the collection of over 600 works found in the apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt.  At least 590 of the works may have been looted during World War II, the government announced.  At least 25 have already been listed in the Lost Art Internet Database.  “We can well understand that especially Jewish organisations are asking many questions. They represent older people who were treated very badly,” said spokesman, Steffen Seibert. (more…)

A recent investigation into the collection of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum has uncovered 139 works looted during World War II.  The results of a 4-year study, the works have been placed on a website, inviting prior owners to make claims on the return of the work, including pieces by Matisse and Isaac Israels.  “We know that there were doubtful transactions concerning works acquired before 1940, after Kristallnacht,” said Siebe Weide of the Dutch Museum Association. (more…)

A pair of statues from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Southeast Asian collection will be sent back to Cambodia, officials announced this week.  The “Kneeling Attendants” were smuggled out of the country during the violent Cambodian civil war of the 1970’s, and were donated to the museum in the late 1980’s.  “This is a case in which additional information regarding the Kneeling Attendants has led the museum to consider facts that were not known at the time of the acquisition and to take the action we are announcing today,” said Met director Thomas P. Campbell. (more…)

Over the past 50 years, the descendants of renowned Paris art dealer Paul Rosenberg have fought to reclaim their father’s vast art collection, looted from the family’s home during World War II.  Tracing paper trails and historical records, the family is remarkable for their ability to reclaim over 340 of Paul Rosenberg’s 400 works still missing, including works by Picasso, Cézanne and Braque. “They are part of the 5 percent of those who have been successful,” said Marc Masurovsky, Holocaust Art Restitution Project founder. “They set an example of how restitution should take place.” (more…)