The Position of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Netherlands on the Koenigs Collection

Dutch newspaper NRC writes : The Koenigs Collection is a valuable art collection subject to multiple claims. A new group of heirs asserts they have a right to the collection, but correspondence reveals that the museum has been blocking an independent investigation by the Restitutions Committee for years, according to NRC.

The museum has refused for four years to participate in an investigation into 2,100 artworks from its own collection whose provenance is disputed. There is a distinct possibility that these objects were plundered from Jewish owners during the dark years of 1940–1945. They form part of the Koenigs Collection, which according to NRC is perhaps the most important, valuable, and heavily claimed art collection in the Netherlands.The importance of this collection—artistically, historically, and financially—is difficult to overstate. The collection consists of 2,600 drawings and dozens of paintings, featuring masterpieces by Hieronymus Bosch, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt van Rijn, Vincent van Gogh, and Leonardo da Vinci, among others. The total financial value could reach up to one billion euros, according to experts consulted by the newspaper.

According to the heirs, the timing of the sale and the fact that the purchase price was far below market value prove that Van Beuningen profited from the imminent German invasion. Subsequently, in early 1940, he resold 528 drawings from the collection to the Nazis for the yet-to-be-built Führermuseum. He made 1.4 million guilders from the deal. After the war, he donated the collection to the museum, which placed his name on its facade.

In a reaction the museum writes: "The museum does not recognise itself in the tenor of this article. The portrayal that the museum is obstructing research or refusing to cooperate is incorrect.

In February 2022, the museum was approached by the liquidators of the bank Lisser & Rosenkranz. They claim that the Koenigs collection was sold under pressure from the Nazi regime in 1940, and that the bank and its shareholders were disadvantaged as a result. The museum takes such signals very seriously and has therefore examined this matter with great care, drawing on extensive archival material and previous research.

This research presents a different picture. Franz Koenigs had a substantial loan with the bank. When he was unable to repay it, the collection was used - according to the contractual agreements of the time - to settle the debt.

Importantly, multiple archival documents show that this loan was fully repaid and that the transaction was primarily aimed at resolving the outstanding debt. The records also indicate that Koenigs and the bank worked closely together, as they maintained a close personal relationship.

The museum attaches great importance to diligence and independent assessment. For that reason, it is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation by the Restitution Expertise Centre into the part of the collection that falls under the responsibility of the Dutch State.

What the museum does not recognise is the suggestion that it is blocking research. There is no question of obstructing any investigation:
- extensive documentation has been provided;
- the museum is actively cooperating with ongoing research;
- and relevant information has been made publicly accessible.

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has been open and transparent for many years about the provenance of its collection, including the Koenigs collection.
- Comprehensive research findings and sources have been published online;
- Previous claims have been examined by independent bodies;
- The museum has always cooperated with restitution requests when there was reason to do so.

All this information is publicly accessible via the museum’s website: Restitutions, ongoing and settled restitution claims - Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and The Koenigs Collection - Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

The history surrounding the Second World War and potential wrongful art transactions demands great care and respect. The museum fully acknowledges the importance of just and fair solutions where appropriate. At the same time, it is essential that public debate is grounded in a complete and factual understanding of the historical record."