Germany: Looted Matisse belongs to Jewish family

Henri Matisse’s “Woman Sitting in an Armchair.” Wikipedia photo

AMSTERDAM — The German task force investigating a huge trove of art recovered from a Munich apartment says one of the paintings – Henri Matisse’s 1921 “Woman Sitting in an Armchair” – was looted from Jews by the Nazis and belongs to the descendants of Paris art dealer Paul Rosenberg.

The painting was one of more than 1,500 works found in 2011 in the apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of an art dealer who worked with the Nazis.

In a statement, the task force’s head Matthias Henkel said he couldn’t be sure how Gurlitt acquired the painting, but it is clear it is the “rightful property” of Paul Rosenberg.

Lawyer Chris Marinello, who represents the Rosenberg family, said heirs were not informed of the task force’s finding before Wednesday’s announcement.