Swiss perspectives in 10 languages
Login
Swiss Politics

Unravelling the mysteries behind the Gurlitt art collection

A painting
Keystone

A podcast about a controversial art collection

A collection left to the Museum of Fine Arts in Bern by the son of a Nazi art collector is now on show in the Swiss capital. At first, little was known about the ownership history of these pieces, but painstaking work has been carried out to discover where the artwork came from, before it was confiscated by the Nazi party under Hitler for being “degenerate art”. 

This content was published on

A British multimedia journalist who moved to Switzerland in 2010, Jo has worked in TV, radio and online. She leads a team of video journalists, picture editors, a graphic designer, data journalist and community developer, and specialises in social media. Initials: jf

You can contact the producer of this podcast on TwitterExternal link or FacebookExternal link. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunesExternal link to ensure that you don’t miss the next one.

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

More

Debate
Hosted by: Samuel Jaberg

How should Switzerland relieve congestion on its motorways?

On November 24, Swiss voters will decide on a government proposal to expand the motorway network. What do you think about this?

Join the discussion
63 Likes
78 Comments
View the discussion

More

Debate
Hosted by: Giannis Mavris

What is the future of Swiss neutrality?

Is Swiss neutrality misunderstood? Or has the Swiss model of neutrality now become obsolete?

Join the discussion
306 Likes
203 Comments
View the discussion

More

Debate
Hosted by: Matthew Allen

How can we avoid AI being monopolised by powerful countries and companies?

AI has the potential to solve many of the world's problems. But the wealthiest countries and tech firms may seek to hoard these benefits.

Join the discussion
8 Likes
6 Comments
View the discussion
More Debates

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.

Read more
A painting is photographed by a smartphone

More

Gurlitt art collection ‘opportunity for Switzerland’

This content was published on In an interview with the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, museum vice-president Marcel Brülhart calls on the Federal Office of Culture to set up an independent centre for checking the provenance – or history of ownership – of art suspected of being looted by the Nazis. Instead, the ministry opposed the museum taking over the art collection…

Read more: Gurlitt art collection ‘opportunity for Switzerland’

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)

Read more: Inside the Gurlitt collection

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR