Carl Spitzweg – Das Klavierspiel (Piano Playing)
While the provenance of a vast majority of works from the Hildebrand Gurlitt collection remains unknown, the German Lost Art Foundation determined that at least 14 works had definite ties to the Nazis. The book is still open on the complete provenance of all of the works from the infamous collection, but this chapter is now closed with the return of all 14 known looted works to their rightful heirs.
The final artwork, a pencil drawing by German artist Carl Spitzweg titled Das Klavierspiel (Piano Playing), was originally owned by Jewish music publisher Henri Hinrichsen. The Gestapo seized the work in 1939 before being purchased by Gurlitt a year later. Unfortunately, Hinrichsen did not survive the perils of the Nazi Regime, but that did not stop his granddaughter Martha, who worked diligently to recover her family’s stolen possession.