December 2 2022, Grisebach GmbH in Berlin – a watercolor of Vassily Kandisky, a russian painter, was sold for 310 000 EUR (I found also sources saying it was 387 500 EUR). Almost 40 years earlier, specifically in 1984 the same painting was stolen from National Museum in Warsaw. The museum acquired it 2 years before for 500 000 zÅ‚otys (which were worthless then in the West, based on black market course from early 1980s it was about 1500 USD). Despite National Museum stamp and polish embassy protests in the back Grisebach decided to don’t cancel the auction and finally sold it for a high price. German law 935.2 de facto legalise fencing items stolen more than 30 years ago if they are sold in public auctions. It is also used to avoid to return item stolen from Poland during WW2, far more important for polish culture than some painting of russian artist like the oldest known manuscript of Gaude Mater Polonia (Bogurodzica). German "rule of law".
Link to the article: https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C1496155%2Cskradziona-z-polskiej-kolekcji-akwarela-zostala-sprzedana-na-aukcji-w
German law 935: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_bgb/englisch_bgb.html#p4521
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1pfqutp
Posted by chinkalichaczapuri
4 Comments
Your daily psychosis, Vatnik 😀
How many times more vatniks will post this. Yes we know. Yes, we do not approve.
Kinda refreshing to see art that wasn’t stolen during WW2 or Deluge.
Not sure how to feel about this. Do you actually want a RUSSIAN painter exposed in Warsaw?!