Art Restitution Case Unearths Disturbing Nazi-Era Secrets in Austria

A legal battle over the restitution of Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Fräulein Lieser" has brought to light troubling aspects of family history dating back to the Nazi era. The lawsuit, filed in New York in early June against an Austrian national and the auction house "im Kinsky," seeks the return of the 1917 painting. International media have paid close attention to the case. However, documents obtained by Der Standard reveal a more complex and sensitive chapter within the claimant's family history. These records indicate that the claimant's grandmother may have leveraged the rise of the National Socialists to her advantage. The restitution claim itself is rooted in a dispute among heirs, with a 1925 index card identifying Lilly Lieser as the painting's owner. The painting's reappearance was reported by "Die Presse" in 1961. Adding another layer to the family's entanglement with the era, the nephew of Hans, the claimant's grandfather, married an "Aryan" woman, who was the claimant's grandmother.

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The lawsuit for the return of Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Fräulein Lieser" is bringing unpleasant details from the Nazi era to light: denunciations during the Nazi period as well as years of disputes among heirs.