Boston Museum To Pay Restitution, Keep Painting

BOSTON — The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has determined that a 17th century Dutch painting in its collection was once owned by a Jewish art dealer who died at the hands of the Nazis in World War II.

The Boston Globe reports the museum has agreed to pay restitution to Walter Westfield's heir but will keep the Eglon van der Neer painting.

The sum to be paid to Westfield's family was not disclosed. Fred Westfield, who lives in Tennessee and is Walter Westfield's nephew, told the newspaper the family was appreciative of the way the museum handled the matter.

Walter Westfield was killed at Auschwitz. Investigators believe the painting was likely stolen by the Nazis. The MFA purchased it for $7,500 from a New York art dealer in 1941.

Comments

[susanmac357]

09:26 AM on 06/28/2011

It is a nice gesture on behalf of the museum, but the painting should have been returned then put up for auction. To me that seems the best way to determine it's current value. But at least the museum has acknowledged the providence of this piece and is willing to act on doing the right thing.

[Tom Servo]

10:46 PM on 06/27/2011

I am sure the family is happy it found it's way into caring hands. The money is a nice gesture as well, hopefully they got more than the $7500 the museum paid for it.

[THE GREAT PURIFIER]

10:43 PM on 06/27/2011

Comment self-deleted.

[techjockey]

10:40 PM on 06/27/2011

They should have to give it back.

[rainonyourparade]

11:00 PM on 06/27/2011

I thought so too upon first glance, but the article explains the sum was not disclosed and "the family was appreciative of the way the museum handled the matter." I wonder if the family opted for the compensation, rather than have to care for the painting, insure the painting and provide security for the painting. Might be a possibility that there is more than one heir, in which case the cash settlement would be easier to dispense. I wish more there was more information. In the end I hope the compensation is more than fair, as the painting will retain its value, and the money will not. Also wonder about taxes on the settlement.

[HawaiianLady]

12:04 AM on 06/28/2011

Good points. A friend of mine was given a couple of paintings by Hal Foster, Prince Valiant's creator, when she was a teenager. She showed the smaller one to me, but said the larger one (of Prince Valiant at the top of a hill looking down at his father's castle) was worth something like $100,000 and had to be kept in a humidity-controlled environment. The little one was worth about $25,000. I think they eventually sold that one as well for the same reasons. (The small one was of Sir Gawain.) I was impressed by the way the artist had drawn the characters, with the bones first and then the muscles and skin. There were parts of the painting where you could still see the structures.

He had sent her both pictures when she wrote to compliment him on the big one and said she'd loved it.