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A leading art museum in Switzerland, the Kunsthaus Zurich, has announced the removal of five paintings from its exhibition for investigation into whether they were looted by the Nazis. These artworks are part of the Emil Bührle Collection, which includes pieces by renowned artists such as Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. The collection is named after Emil Bührle, a German-born arms dealer who profited during World War II by supplying weapons to the Nazis.

The investigation follows the release of new guidelines to address the restitution of cultural artifacts that were never returned to their rightful owners after being stolen during the Nazi era. The paintings under scrutiny are Monet’s “Jardin de Monet à Giverny,” Gustave Courbet’s “Portrait of the Sculptor Louis-Joseph,” Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s “Georges-Henri Manuel,” Vincent van Gogh’s “The Old Tower,” and Paul Gauguin’s “La route montante.”

The Emil Bührle Collection foundation board stated its commitment to finding a fair solution with the legal successors of the original owners, adhering to best practices. Another painting, “La Sultane” by Edouard Manet, is also under examination but will be handled separately as the foundation does not believe the new guidelines apply to it. The foundation has expressed willingness to offer financial compensation to the estate of Max Silberberg, the former owner, who was a German Jewish industrialist. Silberberg’s extensive art collection was sold under duress by the Nazis, and he is believed to have been murdered at Auschwitz.

Earlier this year, more than 20 countries, including Switzerland, adopted new best practices from the US State Department for handling Nazi-looted art. These guidelines were introduced on the 25th anniversary of the 1998 Washington Conference Principles, which aim to facilitate the restitution of stolen or forcibly sold items. These principles are crucial for families seeking to recover looted art, as Swiss law prevents legal claims for restitution or compensation for works from the Bührle collection due to statutes of limitations.

Stuart Eizenstat, the US Secretary of State’s special advisor on Holocaust issues, highlighted that an estimated 100,000 out of 600,000 stolen paintings, along with many books, manuscripts, religious items, and other cultural objects, have not been returned. Up to his death in 1956, Bührle amassed around 600 artworks, many of which are managed by the Bührle Foundation and have been on loan to the Kunsthaus Zurich. Other pieces remain with Bührle’s descendants.

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Apparently tomato soup cans have been hurled over a Van Gogh painting of sunflowers at the National Gallery in London by environmental protestors. Two persons were captured on camera opening tins, throwing the contents onto the artwork, and then sticking their hands to the wall while wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts.
 
Two people, according to the Metropolitan Police, have been detained. The picture was declared to be undamaged by the gallery because it was protected by glass. According to a statement from the Trafalgar Square location: “This morning at little after 11 a.m., two individuals entered Room 43 of the National Gallery.

“The two appeared to have applied wall glue to the area next to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888). Additionally, they daubed the artwork with a red material that appeared to be tomato soup.

“The room was cleared of visitors and police were called. Officers are now on the scene.

“There is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed.

“Two people have been arrested.”

Officers were on the scene at the National Gallery this morning after two Just Stop Oil protestors threw something over a picture and then fastened themselves to a wall, according to the Metropolitan Police.

“Both have been detained on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal mischief. Currently, officers are de-bonding them.

Videos of the event on Friday captured a protester yelling, “What is worth more? Or life, is it? Is it more valuable than food? More valuable than the law? Are the protection of our planet and its inhabitants more important to you than the preservation of a painting?

Additionally, she made mention of the rising cost of living and the “millions of hungry, chilly families” who “can’t even afford to heat a can of soup.”

Van Gogh painted seven sunflower-themed pieces between 1888 and 1889, five of which are currently on exhibit in galleries and museums around the globe. They were made by the artist to adorn his home in Arles, France, before his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin paid him a visit.

The sunflower paintings are “among Van Gogh’s most recognisable and best-loved masterpieces,” according to the exhibition.

Three months prior, individuals from the same group covered John Constable’s The Hay Wain in the same gallery with paper using tape.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright