Swiss museum strikes deal over Kandinsky painting

Under the terms of the deal, the painting will remain in Switzerland Keystone Archive

One of Switzerland's best-known art museums has reached an out-of-court settlement to keep a painting by Wassily Kandinsky.

The deal – reached with the family of a prominent Russian artist – will enable the Ernst Beyeler Foundation to keep Kandinsky’s “Improvisation Nr. 10”, an oil painting confiscated by Nazi Germany in 1937.

The settlement, which was announced on Tuesday, puts an end to a long-running dispute between the Beyeler Foundation and the heirs of the prominent Russian artist, Sophie Lissitzky-Kueppers.

In a joint statement, the Lissitzky family and Beyeler said the painting would continue to remain in the hands of the Beyeler Foundation, which is located on the outskirts of the city of Basel.

“I am glad that this unique painting will remain on public display – a goal to which I have worked for several decades,” said Ernst Beyeler in a statement.

“This settlement means that the turbulent history of this painting has a happy ending.”

Painting to stay in Switzerland

The 1910 painting was part of Lissitzky-Kueppers’ collection of some 13 works that she loaned to the Provincial Museum in Hanover in 1926, before she left Germany for Russia to marry the Russian avant-garde artist, El Lissitzky.

In 1937, the Nazis confiscated the entire collection, including the Kandinsky painting, as part of its campaign against “degenerate art”.

After the death of her husband in 1941 and under pressure from Stalin’s regime, Lissitzky-Kueppers was exiled to Siberia, where she died in 1978.

In 1951, Ferdinand Moeller – a German art dealer notorious for dealing in art confiscated by the Nazis – obtained the painting during the war years and sold it to Beyeler in 1951.

Major purchase

It was the first major purchase by the Swiss collector, who subsequently went on to establish one of Europe’s most significant private collections of art.

Beyeler loaned the painting out to other art institutions before putting it on public display at his foundation’s museum, where it remains today.

One year ago, Lissitzy filed a suit in Basel’s city court in a bid to force Beyeler’s hand.

“Today’s positive result would have been welcomed by my mother,” said the artist’s sole surviving son, Jens Lissitzky.

“Even then all those years ago, my mother recognised and treasured this picture as a milestone in 20th century art,” he added.

In their joint statement, Beyeler and Lissitzky said they had agreed to remain silent on the exact terms of the settlement.

swissinfo with agencies