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Omaha Steve

(99,705 posts) Fri Dec 18, 2015, 08:44 AM Dec 2015

18th century marble bust looted by Nazis returns to Poland

Source: AP

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — An 18th-century marble bust of the goddess Diana looted by the Nazis in 1940 has returned to Warsaw from Vienna, where it recently surfaced at an auction house.

The return of the sculpture, by French master Jean-Antoine Houdon and valued at some 250,000 euros, is the latest development in Poland's yearslong effort to retrieve tens of thousands of works of art looted from museums and private collections in the nation's tumultuous history, most recently during World War II.

The white marble, bare-breasted bust of the hunter goddess was officially returned on Friday to Warsaw's Lazienki Palace, following months of efforts by Poland's government and the Art Recovery Group.

'It is wonderful to have her back with us," said Culture Minister Piotr Glinski.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/543c9008311b43c0a74aed4f41840624/18th-century-marble-bust-looted-nazis-returns-poland

4 replies

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18th century marble bust looted by Nazis returns to Poland (Original Post) Omaha Steve Dec 2015 OP

Sto Lat Paulie Dec 2015 #1

It's taken a LOOOONG time for retribution to catch up Proserpina Dec 2015 #2

Great news!!! Sadly, the Raphael remains missing..... Coventina Dec 2015 #3

We hope it is just missing. saidsimplesimon Dec 2015 #4

Paulie

(8,462 posts)

1. Sto Lat

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Fri Dec 18, 2015, 09:22 AM

Dec 2015

Proserpina

(2,352 posts)

2. It's taken a LOOOONG time for retribution to catch up

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Fri Dec 18, 2015, 09:59 AM

Dec 2015

for all the crimes of that conflagration. but now that the criminals are dying off, the debris and loot they leave behind will slowly revert to its rightful owners.

But it's the Corporations that have yet to pay the price for their involvement.

Coventina

(27,169 posts)

3. Great news!!! Sadly, the Raphael remains missing.....

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Fri Dec 18, 2015, 11:17 AM

Dec 2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Young_Man_(Raphael)

saidsimplesimon

(7,888 posts)

4. We hope it is just missing.

Reply to Coventina (Reply #3)

Fri Dec 18, 2015, 04:06 PM

Dec 2015

Until it is found, the fear will be that it remains in a private collection, or in a bank vault in Switzerland, or Russia.

Russia created their own law allowing citizens to keep all looted art, including their right to refuse compensation. Do they have a lot of loot to hide in Moscow and St. Petersburg? Perhaps some of it is even displayed in Museums?

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