Pinakotheken in Munich return paintings by Lesser Ury

Now the Bavarian State Painting Collections are returning Lesser Ury’s “Interior with Children (The Siblings)” from 1883 to the heirs of Curt Goldschmidt. The case affects a museum that needs to regain trust after the scandals of recent years and the resignation of General Director Bernhard Maaz.

Hundreds of works are examined

At the same time, the restitution marks a new tact: It is the fifth restitution since interim general director Anton Biebl took office a year ago, and the 29th in total for the house. According to the press office, hundreds of works are currently being examined; The website talks about a systematic review of 6,000 works.

The case is explosive because it shows how late Germany is in bringing justice even where the traces are clear. The picture by the Jewish painter Lesser Ury had belonged to the Jewish Berlin collector and banker Curt Goldschmidt since 1921 at the latest. In 1935, after bankruptcy, disenfranchisement and forced sale, it disappeared from the family’s possession; In 1940 it appeared in the Lempertz auction house in Cologne as a work from “non-Aryan ownership”. In 1972 the Bavarian State Painting Collections bought it from the Munich Neumeister Gallery.

Doubly important in terms of cultural history

Interim boss Anton Biebl emphasizes the cultural and historical dimension. The restitution “returns a work that is not only an important example of Lesser Ury’s art, but also reflects the history of Jewish collectors and patrons in early modern Berlin.” Biebl speaks of the “double Jewish provenance” of the picture.

Bavaria’s Art Minister Markus Blume also interprets the case politically. Curt Goldschmidt’s fate is “representative of that of many Jewish collectors and patrons”, provenance research brings these stories to light, and restitution is “an indispensable part of the living culture of remembrance”.

These sentences go beyond the individual case. For a long time, German restitution practice was based more on moral commitment than on enforceable law. The new arbitration system has only replaced the old advisory commission since December 1, 2025. Nevertheless, the debate about a separate restitution law continues; Such a project was also recorded in the coalition agreement of 2025.

The heirs themselves respond conciliatorily. Curt Goldschmidt’s family is pleased about the return and appreciates the efforts of the Bavarian State Painting Collections as well as the “commitment of democratic Germany to face its National Socialist past,” according to the official statement. It could hardly be said more politely how late this insight came – and how necessary it remains.