Germany will return a bust of Picasso looted by Nazism to a Jewish family

The Government of the German state of Bavaria will return to the heirs of the Jewish art dealer Alfred Flechtheim the bronze bust ‘Fernande’ carried out by Pablo Picasso in 1906after reviewing the case in light of the new evaluation framework of the Court of Arbitration on assets looted by Nazism, which has allowed previously adopted decisions to be reconsidered, as reported by the German Ministry of Science and Art in a statement.

The Bavarian Minister of Science and Art, Markus Blume, has assured that the court’s new catalog of criteria “creates the legal bases for the return” of the sculpture to Flechtheim’s heirs.

“With the beginning of this arbitration system, a new era has begun in the restitution of art looted by Nazism.which goes far beyond judicial means,” stated Blume, who stood out.

As explained by the minister, the new system regulates for the first time issues that until now lacked a clear interpretation, among them the treatment of property given as collateral for a debt, an aspect that has been decisive in the case of Picasso’s work.

The Bavarian Government has indicated that the heirs of Alfred Flechtheim requested the restitution of the sculpture in 2022, although the request was rejected in 2024 in accordance with the criteria then in force and in line with a recommendation from the advisory commission on cultural property lost due to Nazi persecution.

However, the entry into force of the new evaluation framework has made it possible to reopen the file and conclude that the restitution of the work is appropriate. “In the present case, it can be assumed that Alfred Flechtheim must be considered the owner of the sculpture even after January 30, 1933,” notes the Bavarian Government.

The authorities consider it probable that the dealer had given the sculpture to a bank as collateral, but that, after being forced to flee into exile due to Nazi persecution, he could no longer pay off the debt or recover the piece, so he ended up losing it.

Furthermore, Blume has stressed that This review will allow Bavarian and German museums to re-examine other complex cases of Nazi looting on a “broader and more solid” legal basis.