The British government plans to send back a painting the Nazis stole from a Jewish family during World War II. After sitting in a London museum for 30 years, the artwork heads home to the original owner's family. The Nazis grabbed this painting in 1940 when Samuel Hartveld and his wife ran away from Belgium to escape persecution. They left many possessions behind as they fled for their lives.
A special British committee studied the case and decided the artwork must go back to Hartveld's great-grandchildren. The oil painting shows ancient hero Aeneas running away with his family from the burning city of Troy. English artist Henry Gibbs created this dramatic scene back in 1654. The story matches what happened to the Jewish family who lost the painting almost 300 years later.
The Tate Britain museum bought the artwork in 1994, not knowing about its dark history. Last May, experts started looking into who really should have this painting. The ten-person Spoliation Advisory Panel voted to send it back where it belongs. They said the Nazis clearly stole the painting because of racial hate against Jewish people.
Britain passed a law in 2009 that allows museums to return items stolen during the Holocaust. The arts minister agreed with the panel that this painting should go back to the Hartveld family. Different rules apply to other disputed treasures in British museums. Many countries ask for ancient objects taken during colonial times, but big British museums usually cannot give those items back permanently.
A special British committee studied the case and decided the artwork must go back to Hartveld's great-grandchildren. The oil painting shows ancient hero Aeneas running away with his family from the burning city of Troy. English artist Henry Gibbs created this dramatic scene back in 1654. The story matches what happened to the Jewish family who lost the painting almost 300 years later.
The Tate Britain museum bought the artwork in 1994, not knowing about its dark history. Last May, experts started looking into who really should have this painting. The ten-person Spoliation Advisory Panel voted to send it back where it belongs. They said the Nazis clearly stole the painting because of racial hate against Jewish people.
Britain passed a law in 2009 that allows museums to return items stolen during the Holocaust. The arts minister agreed with the panel that this painting should go back to the Hartveld family. Different rules apply to other disputed treasures in British museums. Many countries ask for ancient objects taken during colonial times, but big British museums usually cannot give those items back permanently.
