New York City announces return of stolen Nazi art to Austrian Jewish owners

Art stolen by Nazi Germany was returned to its Austrian Jewish owners Friday, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Seated Nude Woman, front view by the Austrian artist Egon Schiele was originally owned by Austrian-Jewish cabaret performer Fritz Grünbaum, whose art collection was stolen by the Nazis. The drawing is believed to depict Schiele’s wife, Edith.

The piece was purchased by Gustav “Gus” Papanek, an Austrian Jew who fled the Nazis in 1938 and was reportedly unaware that the artwork had been stolen. The Papanek family reportedly cooperated with the Manhattan DA and Homeland Security Investigations.

Ceremony held on artwork's return

A ceremony was held on Friday with Grünbaum and Papanek family members, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Ivan Arvelo.

Grünbaum relative Timothy Reif said, “The recovery of this important artwork – stolen from a prominent Jewish critic of Adolf Hitler – sends a message to the world that crime does not pay and that the law enforcement community in New York has not forgotten the dark lessons of World War II.”

The Papanek family said in the same statement that it believes returning the drawing was the right thing to do. “The experience of the two families serves as yet another reminder of the evil and brutality of the Nazi regime.”

The DA’s office returned eight Schiele works in 2023 and another two in January 2024.

“The history behind Nazi-looted art is horrific and tragic, and the consequences are still impacting victims and their families to this day,” said Bragg.