The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has returned a 17th-century painting, 'Lady with a Fan,' to the descendants of a Jewish family who lost it during the Nazi era.
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has returned 'Lady with a Fan,' a 17th-century painting by Gerard ter Borch, to the heirs of a Jewish family from whom it was seized during the Nazi regime. The restitution, which occurred without a public announcement from the museum, has drawn scrutiny regarding the NGV's handling of such sensitive cases.
The painting was removed from the NGV’s online catalogue in early September 2025. The only public record of its return emerged weeks later through an update on Germany's Lost Art Database. This lack of transparency has prompted a New York-based researcher, Jason Schulman, to challenge the NGV's approach.
Mr. Schulman, who uncovered the story, expressed his approval of the restitution itself but raised concerns about the NGV's decision to keep the process private. “Any time a painting is restituted to a family who had to part with it because of the Nazi regime, I think it’s a good thing,” Schulman told Guardian Australia. “But I think there are questions about how and why the NGV did what it did that should be made public.”
The NGV has not publicly disclosed the new evidence that led to the family's claim being accepted, nor has it explained why this particular restitution was handled privately. This stands in contrast to a previous art restitution case in 2014, which the museum widely publicised. The discrepancy in approach has led to calls for greater clarity from the institution.