Swiss museum reaches agreement with Cézanne family
Philippe Cézanne, representing Paul Cézanne's descendants, in front of the painting in question on Tuesday
Keystone
The Kunstmuseum in Bern, which owns the controversial art collection of Cornelius Gurlitt, has settled a lengthy dispute with the family of artist Paul Cézanne over one of the collection’s most valuable paintings.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/ln
The museum has agreed with Cézanne’s descendants that the painting “La Montagne Sainte-Victoire” will remain in the possession of the museum but will often be displayed in the Museum Granet in the painter’s French hometown of Aix-en-Provence.
Both sides agreed on a long-term loan contract, reported the Swiss News Agency on Tuesday.
Painted in 1897, the work of art was valued to be worth €26 million (CHF30 million). It can currently be seen in the exhibition “Gurlitt: Status Report – Nazi Art Theft and Its Consequences”, which runs until July 15.
The painting was owned by Cornelius Gurlitt, who inherited it as part of an entire collection from his father Hildebrand, one of Hitler’s art dealers.
Gurlitt died in 2014 and bequeathed his whole collection to the art museum in Bern.
Although research has so far not brought up any evidence that the Nazis stole the Cézanne painting from its rightful owner, questions remain how it came into Gurlitt’s possession in the first place.
Cézanne’s family had originally wanted the painting back.
Both sides said they were satisfied with the solution. Cézanne’s descendants recognised the museum as the painting’s rightful owner, but they are still able to exhibit it in his hometown.
Gurlitt’s collection was discovered during a tax investigation in 2012. He had more than 1,500 works of art in his possession, stored in a Munich apartment and in a house in Salzburg.
Some of them were confiscated, dozens of them were suspected of having been looted, but it’s difficult to establish traces of this.
The art museum Bern only accepts bequeathed works of art if they are not suspected of having been looted.
More
More
Inside the Gurlitt collection
This content was published on
The collection includes paintings, sketches and prints, all handed down to Gurlitt from his art dealer father. It is valued at an estimated CHF1.23 billion ($1.4 billion). More than 200 of the paintings of inestimable value were the object of international search warrants issued long ago. (Pictures: AFP/Staatsanwaltschaft Augsburg)
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Geneva to host international talks on plastic pollution
This content was published on
A further round of negotiations to reach an international treaty to reduce global plastic pollution will take place in Geneva from August 5-14.
Switzerland extends list of sanctions against Russia
This content was published on
The government is thus adopting the changes decided by the European Union in response to Russia's ongoing military aggression in Ukraine.
Zelthangar plans to produce Spatz tents in Switzerland again
This content was published on
Zelthangar, based in canton Zurich, has purchased the traditional Swiss tent brand Spatz, which is particularly well-known among scouts.
Swiss sign human rights declaration for Women’s Euro 2025
This content was published on
Sports Minister Viola Amherd has signed a human rights declaration for the 2025 European Women's Football Championship in Switzerland.
Swiss parliament wants to expand support for asbestos victims
This content was published on
The expansion of financial support for asbestos victims by the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund has cleared its first parliamentary hurdle.
Extra month of Swiss pension can be paid out from end of 2026
This content was published on
The 13th monthly pension payment can be paid out from December 2026. However, it has not yet been decided how it will be financed.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
The Nazi-looted art exhibition in Bern
This content was published on
An exhibition of art stolen by the Nazis has gone on show in Bern. But the museum still doesn’t know who many of the pieces originally belonged to, despite their best efforts to find out.
This content was published on
The director of the Kunstmuseum, Nina Zimmer, is quoted as saying that more than 78,000 entries were recorded between November and the end of December. That’s more than 1,500 visitors a day. The exhibition is to run until the beginning of March, when a second series of samplings of artworks from the Gurlitt legacy –…
Long-awaited Gurlitt ‘degenerate art’ show opens to public
This content was published on
An exhibition now open in Bern puts on show works of art forcefully taken from museums in Germany by the Nazis and classified as ‘degenerate art’.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.