Art allegedly stolen during Holocaust seized from Carnegie Museum by Manhattan District Attorney's Office
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is seizing a piece of art from Pittsburgh.
The piece of art is believed to be part of a collection that was stolen during the Holocaust and is spread between three institutions across the country.
According to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, there's no ill will to institutions or people who do not know the past of these pieces, but it is pleased to see the district attorney's office fix these historical wrongs.
The Manhattan DA says the piece, "Portrait of a Man," is believed to be part of a collection that was stolen at some point before it was acquired by its current homes. The piece was owned by Jewish performer and songwriter Fritz Grünbaum. He died at the Dachau concentration camp.
"Jewish families had property, businesses, artwork stolen. After the Holocaust, they were scattered," Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Director of Community Relations Laura Cherner said.
Cherner said it was initially surprising to learn the alleged stolen artwork was here in our own backyard.
"But when we realize the sheer number, there were potentially hundreds of thousands of pieces of artwork that were stolen during the Holocaust," Cherner told KDKA-TV.
Many of these stolen pieces ended up in institutions or private collections. A move like this by the Manhattan DA gives the families of victims some chance at minimal justice.
"You can never get back the person who was killed, but it's some kind of reparation. It's some kind of piece of justice, to be able to make sure that property goes back to the family that it rightfully belongs to," Cherner said.
In a statement, the Carnegie Museum of Art said:
"Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is deeply committed to our mission of preserving the resources of art and science by acting in accordance with ethical, legal, and professional requirements and norms. We will of course cooperate fully with inquiries from the relevant authorities."
"I'm pleased to see how they are handling it. They are taking it very seriously and want to make sure the acquisition of this art was legal," Cherner said about the museum's statement.
Cherner said there's no anger toward the people or institutions who acquired these pieces but is hopeful they do the right thing.
"We're really grateful when people fully cooperate and want to the bottom of if this was a stolen piece of art. If it does belong in a family, cooperating with that," Cherner said.
Currently, the piece is still in Oakland until it can be moved to New York at a later date.
KDKA-TV did ask the museum if this is still on display or somewhere in its archives. It's something they didn't want to comment on Friday.