Austria has left itself with Hitler's masterpiece sold Vermeer

[SergeiSK]

Austrian Committee for the Restitution denied to individuals in the controversial requirement to give them a picture of Jan Vermeer's "Allegory of Painting," now preserved in the Museum of Art History in Vienna. It is reported ArtInfo. If the request was granted, the canvas, sometimes called the chief masterpiece of Delft artist, would have been only three and a half dozen works by Vermeer, is not stored in the museum.
 
Claim on the Allegory of Painting "said heirs of its former owner Jaromir Czernin (Jaromir Czernin), who in the late 1930's sold the painting to Adolf Hitler, a dream of creating your ideal art museum in Linz. Fuhrer paid for this job more than any other piece of art. Nevertheless, the descendants of Chernin claimed that the deal was done under pressure: the owner had a better offer, but he feared for his family since his wife was Jewish.

However, the Austrians have taken note that the Czernin applied for membership in the NSDAP and Hitler sent a congratulatory letter to the wish that the painting " always bring you joy, my Fuehrer ". Based on this, it was decided that the sale of the painting was voluntary. It is worth noting that efforts Chernin have not been evaluated by the Nazis: he was subsequently sentenced to hard labor and died in poverty.
(Lenta.Ru)

[halev]

thanks a lot!