Looted artworks by Nazi’s are decided to hand back!!!

The French government decided to hand back paintings looted by the Nazis to the heir of a Jewish collector, who died in a concentration camp. The appeals court in Paris overturned a lower court’s decision, which had earlier stated that they should not be returned. The latter had their doubts about the paintings’ authenticity, which were countered by the appeals’ court which said that they were completely “accurate, serious, and consistent indications.”

Andre Derain, a Fauvist artist was the owner of these artworks. Fauvism was a kind of modernist art that became famous in France in the 20th century which emphasized strong colour rather than the representational or realistic values which were upheld by Impressionist painters. They were made between 1907 and 1910. They were owned by a famous Parisian gallery owner named Rene Gimpel. He was Jewish by faith and was a renowned art collector around the time of the Second World War. He took part in the resistance against the Nazi government and fled Paris during the early days of the war to go to take refuge in the French Riviera. In 1944, Gimpel was arrested and was taken to Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg, where he breathed his last. After his arrest, the paintings were taken as spoils from him. Currently, the paintings are housed in Marseille at the Troyes and the Cantini museum. Gimpel’s heir’s lawyer was extremely happy to hear the verdict.