Art

David Rowland, Who Won Back Looted Art for Jewish Heirs, Dies at 67 – The New York Times

Published

1 year ago

August 31, 2023

As a lawyer, he worked on behalf of the families of Jews who had been persecuted by the Nazis to recover artworks, some housed in pre-eminent museums.

David Rowland, a lawyer who secured the recovery of hundreds of looted artworks for the heirs of Jewish collectors who had been persecuted by the Nazis, challenging some of the world’s leading museums in doing so, died on Aug. 15 at his home in Manhattan. He was 67.

The cause was a sudden heart-related illness, his sister Elizabeth Rowland Gagne said.

Among Mr. Rowland’s high-profile successes was the 2006 recovery of “Berlin Street Scene,” a 1913 painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, from the Brücke Museum in Berlin. And in 2020 he secured the return of 200 prints and drawings by Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch and Marc Chagall, among other artists, from the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland.

The Basel restitution followed more than a decade of persistent petitioning by Mr. Rowland on behalf of the heirs.

“The hallmark of David’s professional engagement was perseverance,” said Svetlana V. Petroff, his longtime business partner and friend. “He persevered over time and against adversity.”

Mr. Rowland had met Ms. Petroff in law school, though both were working at Röhm International, a New York law firm, when Mr. Rowland left in 1989 to set up a practice on Park Avenue. Ms. Petroff joined him in 1990, to form Rowland & Petroff.

Mr. Rowland focused initially on real estate restitution and compensation claims by German Jews and their descendants in eastern Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“The wall came down just as David was opening his practice, and he recognized the opportunities,” said Julius Niesert, an associate at Rowland & Petroff in Berlin.

As the number of claims for Jewish homes and businesses in Germany began to dwindle, Mr. Rowland turned his attention to recovering Nazi-looted art. It is a field in which the law can fall short in achieving justice for heirs: Claimants are frequently foiled in court by technical barriers, such as statutes of limitation.

“Cases can take a very long time, and you don’t have access to regular legal tools,” Mr. Niesert said. “You are frequently operating outside normal legal parameters in a ‘soft law’ area.”

Mr. Rowland’s first major success was securing the return of Caspar David Friedrich’s 1824 painting “The Watzmann” to the heirs of its original owner from a Berlin museum, which then purchased it back from them.Casper David Friedrich

Mr. Rowland started working in art restitution around the time dozens of countries endorsed, in 1998, the Washington Principles, a set of international, nonbinding guidelines on returning Nazi loot housed in public collections. He was among the first U.S. lawyers to focus on Nazi-looted art, and he championed the rights of Jewish art claimants beyond his clients, writing articles and attending conferences to promote their cause.

His first major success was securing the return of Caspar David Friedrich’s 1824 painting “The Watzmann,” one of the artist’s best-known works, to the heirs of Martin Brunn, its original owner. Mr. Brunn, who was Jewish, had sold the painting in 1937 to finance his flight to the United States but never received the sale revenue. The Nationalgalerie in Berlin returned it to his heirs, then purchased it back from them in 2003.

The restitution of “Berlin Street Scene,” an equally famous painting, sparked an uproar. Mr. Rowland represented the heir of Alfred Hess, who ran a shoe-manufacturing business in the eastern German city of Erfurt before World War II. The family had one of the most comprehensive collections of German Expressionist art of that time, with about 4,000 artworks.

Tekla Hess, Alfred’s wife, sold the painting to a Cologne-based collector in 1936, but researchers concluded that she had sold it under duress and that it was unclear whether she had actually received any payment.

Nonetheless, some Germans did not view “Berlin Street Scene” as a case for restitution. An opinion column in a German newspaper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, went as far as to accuse “unscrupulous, slick lawyers in the U.S.” of “talking about the Holocaust but meaning money.”

But the Berlin state prosecutor concluded that keeping the artwork in the Brücke Museum without returning it “would reduce the cultural and historical meaning of the work for the general public, and the ethical and moral value of this cultural treasure.”

After its restitution, Ronald Lauder, an heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics fortune, purchased the painting for $38 million at a Christie’s auction in New York in 2006. “Berlin Street Scene” now hangs in the Neue Galerie, the Manhattan museum that Mr. Lauder opened in 2001.

The 1913 painting “Berlin Street Scene,” by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, was recovered by Mr. Rowland — though not without controversy — and now hangs in the Neue Galerie in New York.Neue Galerie

Many of Mr. Rowland’s clients could not afford to pay hourly fees, so he worked on consignment: They paid him if they won, but not if they lost.

“David took on cases he believed in that appeared to be unwinnable, and persisted through his moral conviction where many other lawyers would have jumped ship,” said Raymond J. Dowd, who also handles claims for Nazi-looted art as a partner at the international firm Dunnington Bartholow & Miller.

One of Mr. Rowland’s longest-running battles was the recovery of the collection of Curt Glaser, a renowned Jewish museum director and art critic who sold hundreds of works at two Berlin auctions before fleeing Nazi Germany in 1933.

Mr. Rowland began working for Glaser’s heirs more than 20 years ago and recovered art from more than a dozen private collectors and museums, including the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and the Kunstmuseum Basel. At his death he was still working to reclaim Glaser’s paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Kunsthaus Zurich.

“I always valued his ability to communicate to us that he cared,” said Bettina Basanow, one of Glaser’s heirs, who lives in Denver. “It wasn’t just business. We appreciated him as a friend and lawyer.”

David John Rowland was born in New London, Conn., on March 21, 1956, to Barbara Ann and John Robert Rowland. He spent most of his childhood in nearby East Lyme, where he swam, fished and raced a sailboat in Long Island Sound.

He attended Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and graduated in 1978. Having learned German in high school, he spent his junior year in Vienna.

After graduating from New York Law School in 1983, he returned to Europe while studying at the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific, spending some months at the University of Salzburg and working for a law firm in Munich. His fascination for the German-speaking world greatly shaped his career and took him frequently to Berlin.

In addition to his sister Elizabeth, Mr. Rowland is survived by his mother, Barbara Ann Rowland; another sister, Leslie Rowland Jacques; three nieces; and three nephews.

Not only did he help to recover art, Mr. Rowland also avidly appreciated it. He was a member of the National Arts Club in New York, and in Berlin, where he kept an apartment, he set up a gallery with his friend Frank Kutschera, an architect. They called it Galerie Rowland Kutschera.

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Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

Published

5 days ago

September 13, 2024

Harry Miller

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.

Art

Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone – BBC.com

Published

2 weeks ago

September 2, 2024

Harry Miller

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Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone BBC.com

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Somerset House Fire: Courtauld Gallery Reopens, Rest of Landmark Closed

Published

1 month ago

August 18, 2024

Harry Miller

The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House has reopened its doors to the public after a fire swept through the historic building in central London. While the gallery has resumed operations, the rest of the iconic site remains closed “until further notice.”

On Saturday, approximately 125 firefighters were called to the scene to battle the blaze, which sent smoke billowing across the city. Fortunately, the fire occurred in a part of the building not housing valuable artworks, and no injuries were reported. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Despite the disruption, art lovers queued outside the gallery before it reopened at 10:00 BST on Sunday. One visitor expressed his relief, saying, “I was sad to see the fire, but I’m relieved the art is safe.”

The Clark family, visiting London from Washington state, USA, had a unique perspective on the incident. While sightseeing on the London Eye, they watched as firefighters tackled the flames. Paul Clark, accompanied by his wife Jiorgia and their four children, shared their concern for the safety of the artwork inside Somerset House. “It was sad to see,” Mr. Clark told the BBC. As a fan of Vincent Van Gogh, he was particularly relieved to learn that the painter’s famous Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear had not been affected by the fire.

Blaze in the West Wing

The fire broke out around midday on Saturday in the west wing of Somerset House, a section of the building primarily used for offices and storage. Jonathan Reekie, director of Somerset House Trust, assured the public that “no valuable artefacts or artworks” were located in that part of the building. By Sunday, fire engines were still stationed outside as investigations into the fire’s origin continued.

About Somerset House

Located on the Strand in central London, Somerset House is a prominent arts venue with a rich history dating back to the Georgian era. Built on the site of a former Tudor palace, the complex is known for its iconic courtyard and is home to the Courtauld Gallery. The gallery houses a prestigious collection from the Samuel Courtauld Trust, showcasing masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Among the notable works are pieces by impressionist legends such as Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Vincent Van Gogh.

Somerset House regularly hosts cultural exhibitions and public events, including its popular winter ice skating sessions in the courtyard. However, for now, the venue remains partially closed as authorities ensure the safety of the site following the fire.

Art lovers and the Somerset House community can take solace in knowing that the invaluable collection remains unharmed, and the Courtauld Gallery continues to welcome visitors, offering a reprieve amid the disruption.

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