Background to the Cornelius Gurlitt Collection
Dr Hannes Hartung commented on the acceptance of the inheritance by the Kunstmuseum Bern in an extensive article in the newspaper DIE WELT on 26 November 2014. He also gave an interview to Deutsche Welle (DW) Kultur on the question of the testamentary capacity of the testator Cornelius Gurlitt. You can access the current contributions below:
- A problem and its heirs, article published in DIE WELT, 26.11.2014
- Hartung: The expert opinion is a sword of Damocles, interview with lawyer Dr Hannes Hartung
Older statements by RA Dr Hannes Hartung as former lawyer of Mr Cornelius Gurlitt in his private law matters can be found here (in excerpt):
- Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ): Consequences of the Schwabing Art Find
- BR 2 (Bayerischer Rundfunk): Radio interview
- Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ): Museums have not done their homework
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): Lawyer calls Gurlitt willing to talk
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ, Julia Voss): Talks with heirs are already underway
- New York Times (Melissa Eddy): German at Center of Looted-Art Case Is Said to Consider Restitution Claims
- The Wall Street Journal (Mary Lane):Son of Nazi-era Art Dealer Signals Readiness to Discuss Restitution
Criticism of the unequal treatment of Cornelius Gurlitt - Information page on the discussions about the Gurlitt Collection: www.gurlitt.info
Munich, 17.02.2014. "In Germany, there are many public and private collections in which the proportion of potentially looted art is much higher than in the Gurlitt Collection - but there are apparently no sanctions for these collections and the museum directors responsible there," complains Dr Hannes Hartung, Cornelius Gurlitt's art lawyer. "We are currently negotiating with six claimants, which corresponds to 3% of the Schwabing part of the collection. More have not contacted us to date," explains Dr Hannes Hartung.
The Gurlitt Collection has been discussed controversially and sometimes emotionally in recent months - in terms of the legal, political and also moral aspects, this is not surprising.