Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz returns Five Paintings to the Heirs of the Matthiesen Gallery

In 1935, the Dresdner Bank sold around 4,400 works of art to the Prussian state, which handed them over to several museums. Since 2018, the Central Archives of the State Museums in Berlin have been investigating whether any of the works still in the museum contain cultural assets confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution.

A collection of paintings was owned by the Matthiesen Gallery. With the heirs of the gallery's owners, the SPK was able to find a fair and just solution that appropriately takes the historical background into account.

The Jewish art dealer Franz Zatzenstein-Matthiesen took out loans for his Berlin gallery in the 1920s. After a house search by the Gestapo, Franz Zatzenstein-Matthiesen emigrated to Zurich in April 1933, but initially remained managing director of the gallery. The following year he donated works of art from his gallery inventory to the bank to pay off remaining debts. These ended up in the Berlin State Museums as part of the Dresdner Bank deal in 1935. The agreement now reached with the heirs takes into account, on the one hand, the damage suffered as a result of the persecution, and, on the other hand, also the fact that it involved liabilities from the period before 1933 that the gallery owner would have had to repay even without the persecution, albeit on much more favorable terms.

Hermann Parzinger, President of the SPK: “I would like to thank the heirs of the owners of the Matthiesen Gallery for their willingness to talk and openness to finding a fair and just solution in accordance with the Washington Principles. This is a complex case and I am very pleased that together we managed to reach a solution that reflects the complex historical background: five works will be given to the heirs, one work will remain in the picture gallery. Over 25 years ago, the SPK began to actively examine its holdings for cultural property confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution, and the Central Archives took on a crucial role for the museums. Since then, we have returned over 350 works of art and more than 2,000 books to those entitled to them.”

The heirs explain: “The SPK has made great efforts, together with the heirs of the owners of the Matthiesen Gallery, to find a fair and just solution with regard to these works. The heirs are extremely grateful to the SPK for the responsible manner in which the foundation dealt with this case.

Main Image: Gemäldegalerie / Foto: Dietmar Gunne, Segelschiffe auf der Merwede vor Dordrecht, Holländisch