The Kunsthaus Zurich, one of Switzerland’s most prestigious art museums, has announced that it will remove five paintings after a review of their provenance according to new guidelines for the management of works of art looted by the Nazis. A sixth painting was also subjected to further scrutiny, the foundation responsible for the Emil Buhrle Collection said, although it does not appear to be included in this case.
The paintings in question are by Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Emil Buhrle was a controversial arms manufacturer of German origin who made his fortune during the Second World War: there have long been suspicions about the origins of his art collection, one of the most prestigious private ones in Europe.