Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam to Return Matisse Painting to Heirs of Jewish Owner Who Fled Nazis
The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has announced that it will be returning an Henri Matisse painting, titled “Odalisque,” to the heirs of its former owner, a German-Jewish textile manufacturer and art patron. The painting has been in the museum’s collection since 1941, when it was sold by the owner to fund his family’s escape from the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
The decision to return the painting came after the Amsterdam City Council received “binding advice” from the Dutch Restitutions Commission, a government committee that rules on cases of Nazi-looted art. The heirs of the former owner expressed that the decision provided symbolic justice, as the painting had been in the museum for 80 years with little acknowledgment of its origins.
Before World War II, the painting was part of the private art collection of Albert and Marie Stern, who were patrons of the arts in Berlin. The Sterns faced antisemitic persecution under the National Socialists in Germany, leading them to flee to Amsterdam in 1937. In 1941, the family sold the Matisse painting to the Stedelijk Museum through a family friend as they desperately tried to escape Europe.
Tragically, the entire Stern family was arrested shortly after the sale and sent to concentration camps, where many family members were killed. The couple’s grandchildren and Marie managed to survive the war, but Albert died in an internment camp.
The chair of the Restitutions Commission described the circumstances of the forced sale as “horrible” and emphasized the importance of returning the painting to the family. The Stedelijk Museum’s director also highlighted the personal history of the painting, stating that its restitution was a way to acknowledge the injustice done to the family.
The city of Amsterdam, as the official owner of the painting, is expected to hand it over to Stern’s family members before the end of the year. The decision to return the painting has been praised as a meaningful gesture towards recognizing the victims of Nazi persecution and addressing historical injustices.
