Collector with the eyes and the principles

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collector with eyes and principles

died Rudolf Leopold

Kommersant »№ 116 (4416) on 01.07.2010

Obituary

in Vienna at the age of 85 years died famous collector Rudolf Leopold, founder of the museum its name. An ophthalmologist by training, he first opened to the public legacy of Egon Schiele, and then collected about 5 thousand works of the Austrian Expressionists. When he was accused of possession of things with "Nazi" past, he refused to part with the paintings - only to agree to pay money for them.

Rudolf Leopold was a pioneer collector of generation, collecting with a passion that bordered on obsession. In 1990 his collection was estimated to be worth over € 0,5 billion, at current prices on the art of modernism, its market value five times higher. However, the sale of the collection is not threatened: from mid-1990 it is transformed into the fund Leopold, and in 2001, operates as a museum - currently the most visited in the Museum Quarter of Vienna.

Rudolf Leopold was born in 1925 in Vienna, where after the Second World graduated ophthalmologist. His wife Elizabeth, also a doctor, ophthalmologist, shared a passion for collecting Rudolph. In 1947, he began to collect art, beginning, as any European bourgeoisie, with the old masters, Rudolf Leopold quickly left them and started buying the work of Egon Schiele, an unpopular and cheap at that time. In fact, he first introduced the general public with the work of Austrian Expressionist, staging exhibitions of his works in Munich, London, New York. Then the interests of the collector is naturally extended to the work of Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka.

In mid-1990's, at the time of making collections in the fund, it was more than 5 thousand pieces. The lion's share - Secession and Expressionism, that is the art that the Nazis were defined as "degenerate." When Austria adopted a law on restitution, the collection of Rudolf Leopold immediately sought out works that could be confiscated by the Nazis from their rightful owners. Already in 1998 at an exhibition in New York were arrested two paintings from the collection of Rudolf Leopold. However, one of them, the court fully "justified", the second returned to the owner, not taking off, however, with suspicion. Then the story was repeated several times, but, whatever the conclusions of the experts (at the moment of doubt the purity of origin cause 11 paintings from the collection), Rudolf Leopold remained categorically opposed to restitution. As the head of a private foundation and director of the private museum, he was not obliged to do so, and leave the pictures voluntarily refused. He has consistently offered the heirs of Holocaust victims cash compensation, while maintaining its collection intact. Now, when Rudolf Leopold died, the situation may change.

Tatiana Markina

http://kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1404430&print=true

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Restorative scandal allowed for 20 million dollars

Foundation Rudolf Leopold, a famous Austrian collector and founder of his own museum, will pay $ 20 million in exchange for the right to keep the painting expressionist Egon Schiele, The Art Newspaper reports citing sources close to the participants in the transaction.
In "Portrait of Valley" (1912) Brush Schiele heirs claimed art dealer Lea Bondi Jara (Lea Bondi Jaray), a collection of which the Nazis had confiscated in 1938. A year later, she was forced to leave Vienna. After the war the painting was discovered, it was transferred to the Austrian authorities that those returned to work the rightful owner. However, it was an unknown way in the collection of Leopold.

In 1998, the Leopold Foundation has sent Portrait Valley "at the exhibition in New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where the painting was arrested by the authorities at the request of the heirs. This caused a huge row and set a precedent for future cases of restitution of works of art were taken away by the Nazis from Jews. In 1998, Schiele painting was estimated at $ 1 million, 20 million are upper bound estimates on the paintings to date.

Sources of The Art Newspaper said that agreement on compensation was reached during the life of Rudolf Leopold, who died June 29, 2010 at the age of 85 years. The son of a collector, who headed the board of directors of the museum, validated information about the transaction did not, but stated that the parties were very close to an agreement acceptable to all.

In the Viennese Leopold Museum houses one of the most important collections of Austrian Expressionism, in particular - the largest collection of works by Egon Schiele (250 pictures). "Portrait of the Valley", the artist's mistress, Valerie Noytsil (Walerie Neuzil), along with self-portrait of Schiele, became one of the symbols of the museum. Rudolf Leopold has always denied that he knew of the illicit origin of this and other paintings in his collection. Also, the collector chose to pay compensation to the legal heirs, but not to part with the works.

http://www.lenta.ru/news/2010/07/05/schiele/

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Works by Gustav Klimt from the Museum Leopold:

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Austrian museum must return confiscated by the Nazis Schiele

Rudolf Leopold Foundation will have to return five paintings by Egon Schiele, and two works by Anton Romak to their rightful owners, according to Bloomberg. This decision was taken by the Ministry of Culture of Austria.
Paintings belonged to Maurice Eisler (Maurice Eisler) and Karl Meylenderu (Karl Maylaender) - Jews who were persecuted by the Nazis. According to the decision of the Ministry, works of art must return to their heirs. The question of the return of paintings is not subject to appeal.

Leopold Foundation and founded by its eponymous museum faces a restorative scandal is not the first time. In summer 2010, the Fund has paid nearly $ 20 million for the right to keep the Portrait Valley "Schiele. Painting owned by art dealer Lea Bondi Jara (Lea Bondi Jaray), but during the Second World War it fell into the hands of the Nazis. After the war, now found, but it soon disappeared and then appeared in an unknown way in the collection of Leopold. Rudolf Leopold himself has always denied that he had an idea of the illicit origin of certain paintings in its collection.

Leopold Foundation has the largest collection of Egon Schiele, which has more than 250 paintings. Until the end of 2010, the Fund expects to complete the verification of the origin of all its meetings. It is expected that it might reveal about the dubious origin of the 50 paintings.

http://www.lenta.ru/news/2010/11/25/leopold/