Stedelijk Museum Returns a Painting by Kandinsky to its Former Owners

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam returns a painting by Wassily Kandinsky that was held in this collection since 1940, to its Jewish heirs. This work belonged to the heirs of a Jewish couple who tried to escape the Netherlands after the Nazi invasion during World War II. According to the statement of the Amsterdam municipality, with an agreement "based on mutual respect" with the heirs of the Jewish couple, Robert Lewenstein and Irma Klein, an ownership dispute that began years ago , is unraveled. "As a city, we bear a great responsibility for dealing with the indescribable suffering and injustice inflicted on the Jewish population in the Second World War," Touria Meliani, the deputy mayor, said in the statement. "To the extent that anything can be restored, we as a society, have a moral duty to act accordingly."

The issue of returning this work had become part of a broader debate over how Dutch authorities should evaluate restitution requests. "Painting with Houses" was made in 1909 and was purchased by David Röell, the former director of the Stedelijk, at an auction in 1940. It was held in this collection since that year.

The Dutch Restitutions Commission, which is investigating Nazi looting allegations, ruled in 2018 that the Stedelijk Museum could preserve the painting since Stedelijk put the profits of cultural institutions above individual profits. 

It was confirmed by this Commission that the painting belonged to Lewenstein and Klein. Nevertheless, it emphasized the work's significant status in the Stedelijk Museum and decided to preserve the work in the museum. Under the belief of this Commission, the heirs of the work had been involved with financial problems before the Nazi invasion and this selling did not relate to the situation of the Nazi invasion during World War II.

After verification of this decision, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands refused it. The Mayor of Amsterdam and other authorities announced their agreement to return this work last year. "The suffering inflicted on Jewish citizens in particular during the Second World War is unprecedented and irreversible," they wrote, adding that society had "a moral obligation" to redress that.

Last summer, the Mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, claimed that she was trying to return the painting to its heirs, but the approval of the City Council was required. The heirs and city agreed that the restitution "does justice to the principle of returning works of art that were involuntarily removed from a possession during the Second World War due to circumstances directly related to the Nazi regime," according to a statement announcing the transfer. James Palmer from the Mondex Corporation, supports the heirs in this issue.