via facsimile: 011-43-1-533-7797

Fr. Bundesministerin Elisabeth Gehrer
Minoritenplatz 5
A-1010 Wien

Re: Estate

Sehr geehrte Frau Bundesministerin:

 Although we were pleased to learn of the restitution of the 16 Klimt drawings and 19 porcelain settings, and maintain our hope for the restitution of Klimt's Bildnis Amalie Zuckerkandl, it is with deep regret that we learned today of the negative recommendation of the Beirat concerning the remaining Klimt paintings. 

 Despite our repeated requests, we were not included in the deliberations, nor were we given any opportunity to respond to many of the completely false statements and legal opinions on which the Beirat members presumably relied.  Important documents and legal opinions, such as the March 9 and June 24 opinions of Dr. Lintl, were withheld from the members of the Beirat. Had the Beirat members had the honesty and courage to discuss the matter openly with us, we are certain that the decision would have been quite different and this very embarrassing dilemma for Austria could easily have been avoided. For there is absolutely no doubt at all that the Klimt paintings are Nazi-looted artworks that are subject to restitution under the Bundesgesetz über die Rückgabe von Kunstgegenständen aus Österreichischen Bundesmuseen und Sammlungen.

 In the hope that you will exercise your authority to disregard the Beirat's ill-advised recommendation or ask them to reconsider, I will set forth below several ways in which the Beirat erred.

 According to the press release, the Beirat based its recommendation on a series of completely false assertions, which can easily be disproved:

 Misstatement number one: "Weder sei eines dieser Gemälde Gegenstand eines Rückstellungsverfahrens an den ursprünglichen Eigentümer bzw. dessen Rechtsnachfolger gewesen . . ."

 All five of the Klimt paintings were the subject of restitution efforts after the war by Dr. Gustav Rinesch, the attorney for Ferdinand and his heirs:

 (1) Dr. Rinesch first wrote to the Österreichische Galerie, Prof. Grimschitz, on September 28, 1945 (while Ferdinand was still alive!) and then on August 19, 1946 requesting assistance in locating paintings from Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer's collection. The Österreichische Galerie initially failed to disclose its possession of three Klimt paintings and referred Dr. Rinesch to the Bundesdenkmalamt.  After lengthy correspondence between the Bundesdenkmalamt and the Österreichische Galerie, on August 26, 1947, Dr. Demus of the Bundesdenkmalamt informed Dr. Rinesch that two paintings, Bildnis Adele Bloch-Bauer I and Apfelbaum were located in the Österreichische Galerie.  (I described the illegal manner in which these paintings were obtained by the Österreichische Galerie from the Nazi lawyer liquidating Ferdinand's estate in my June 27, 1998 letter to Dr. Wran, a copy of which was sent to you.) A third painting, Bildnis Adele Bloch-Bauer II, was also in the possession of the Österreichische Galerie, but that was not disclosed and was learned by Dr. Rinesch independently.

 On December 6, 1947, Dr. Rinesch wrote to one of Ferdinand's heirs, Robert Bentley, and informed him that the Österreichische Galerie had three of Ferdinand's Klimt paintings, the two portraits of Adele and Apfelbaum.  He repeated to Mr. Bentley, Prof. Grimschitz's false assertion that Adele had given the Klimt paintings to the museum in her will, and asked what he should do. Mr. Bentley's response is unknown, but on January 19, 1948, presumably at his client's request, Dr. Rinesch wrote to the Österreichische Galerie demanding return of the three Klimt paintings:

Ich vertrete die Erben nach dem im Jahre 1945 verstorbenen Wiener Sammler Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. In dieser Sammlung befanden sich u.a. drei Gemälde von Gustav Klimt und zwar zwei Porträts Adele Bloch-Bauer und eine Landschaft. Dieselben wurden anlässlich der erzwungenen Liquidation des Bloch-Bauer'schen Privatbesitzes während der Zeit der deutschen Herrschaft durch den Anwalt Bloch-Bauer's, Herrn Dr. Erich Führer, dem österreichsichen Muesum übergeben. Die genauen Bedingungen dieser Uebergabe sind mir nicht bekannt.

 Ich wäre Ihnen für die Mitteilung dankbar, wie Sie sich zu den Rückstellungsansprüchen meiner Klienten in diesem Fall stellen würden.  In Erwartung Ihrer freundlichen Nachricht zeichne ich

   hochachtungsvoll

   (Dr. Rinesch)

 In his February 16, 1948 letter, Dr. Garzarolli refused to return the paintings, and subsequently prepared for a legal battle with the heirs (see Dr. Garzarolli's April 1, 1948 letter to Dr. Glatz of the Finanzprokuratur and his April 2, 1948 letter to Dr. Demus of the Bundesdenkmalamt). Dr. Garzarolli proceeded in this way, even after he had obtained copies of Adele's will and the probate proceedings from 1926, which showed that Prof. Grimschitz's recollection of the facts was incorrect. Dr. Garzarolli confided to Prof. Grimschitz on March 9, 1948 that because of the lack of any documentary evidence of a donation by Ferdinand, he found himself in "einer umso schwierigen Situation."  A legal proceeding was only averted because Dr. Rinesch agreed on April 10, 1948 to donate the Klimt paintings in exchange for Dr. Garzarolli's support in obtaining export permits for other paintings. (See Dr. Garzarolli's April 10, 1948 letter to Dr. Glatz and Dr. Rinesch's April 11, 1948 letter to Robert Bentley.)

 (2) Dr. Rinesch wrote to the Städtische Sammlungen on November 18, 1947 concerning restitution of items from the porcelain collection and Klimt's Buchenwald (Birkenwald).  On December 3, 1947, Dr. Wagner responded on behalf of the Städtische Sammlungen:

Dass wir auf Ihr Schreiben vom 18.11.47, A/W betreffend Porzellansammlung Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, erst heute antworten, hat seinen Grund in einer Rückfrage, die wir unserer Rechstabteilung stellen mussten. Nach Einlangen der Antwort sind wir nunmehr in der Lage Ihnen mitzuteilen, dass wir bereit sind, sowohl das Klimtbild "Birkenwald", als auch das Wiener klassizistische Porzellan soweit es noch vorhanden ist, gegen Rückersatz des Verkaufspreises zurückzustellen.

Thus, there was no reason for a restitution proceeding by the heirs against the Städtische Sammlungen (other than perhaps to challenge the unreasonable demand for a return of the purchase price). After Dr. Rinesch agreed to give the Klimt paintings to the Österreichische Galerie, he assisted the museum in recovering the painting.  After numerous letters and threats of legal proceedings by Dr. Garzarolli, the painting was delivered to the Österreichische Galerie on November 23, 1948.

  (3)  Haüser in Unterach am Attersee was retrieved from the lawyer Dr. Erich Führer by the Americans upon Dr. Führer's arrest for Nazi activities.  After the war, the painting was housed in the apartment of Karl Bloch-Bauer on Modenapark along with a number of other paintings that Dr. Führer had stolen from his client Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. These paintings were reviewed by Dr. Garzarolli on March 30, and discussed by Dr. Demus and Dr. Rinesch the following week in connection with Dr. Rinesch's impending request for export permits. In Dr. Rinesch's April 11, 1948 letter to Robert Bentley, he states:

 Da jetzt die Verpackung von Carls Wohnungseinrichtung vor sich geht, hat diese Woche auch die Beschau durch das Denkmalamt dort stattgefunden. Wie ich vorausgesagt habe, ist den Beamten sofort aufgefallen, dass sich unter den Bildern solche aus der Sammlung B.B. befinden. Ich wurde darauf von Dr. Demus angerufen und war mit George bei ihm.  Demus erklaerte, dass er und die österr. Galerie grössten Wert auf diese Bilder legt und daß eine Einigung über die wenigen sofort zur Ausfuhr verlangten Bilder schwer moeglich ist. -- Ich bin der Meinung, daß man alle zustandegebrachten Bilder (einschliesslich der in München befindlichen) gemeinsam zur Ausfuhr beantragen sollte, dann würde man viel besser wegkommen. Demus pflichtet dem bei. Bei dieser Gelegenheit kam auch die Angelegenheit der Klimt-Bilder und des Legats Adele B.B. zur Sprache. Ich bin der Meinung, daß man das Denkmalamt und das Museum durch eine Ordnung dieser Sache geneigt stimmen koennte und habe mir daher gestern im Bezirksgericht den Verlassenschaftsakt ausgehoben....

 Demgemäss muss auch das in der Wohnung Carls befindliche Klimt-Bild (Häuser am Attersee), welches ohnedies nicht zur Ausfuhr beantragt war, dem Muesum uebergeben werden. . . . Hiedurch ist das Museum beriets günstig gestimmt und ich habe gleich die Ausfuhr der übrigen Bilder zur Sprache gebracht. Ohne definitive Zusagen zu haben, vereinbarte ich, dass ich eine Liste sämtlicher Bilder, die wir beriets festgestelt haben gleich zur Ausfuhr eingereicht wird und daß die Ausfuhr suksessive nach Rücktransport stattfinden kann.

The Klimt painting Häuser in Unterach am Attersee was given to the Österreichische Galerie from Karl Bloch-Bauer's apartment on April 12, 1948, two days after Dr. Rinesch met with Dr. Garzarolli and told him the heirs would donate the Klimt paintings in the hope that Dr. Garzarolli would support their request to the Bundesdenkmalamt for export permits for other paintings.  On the very next day, April 13, 1948, Dr. Rinesch sent his lengthy request for export permits to Dr. Demus, with a copy to Dr. Garzarolli thanking him for his "Gerechtigkeit."

 Thus, it is absolutely clear that Ferdinand and his heirs attempted to recover all five of the Klimt paintings after the war. The new law does not require that formal legal restitution proceedings were instituted by the heirs. Indeed, no such proceedings were required for the 19 porcelain settings and 16 Klimt drawings that the Beirat already recommended be returned under the new law. All that is required is that the artworks were "objects of restitution" meaning only that they could have been returned to the heirs after the war.  This is of course true for all five of the Klimt paintings.  Dr. Rinesch attempted to recover the paintings, and succeeded in obtaining Häuser in Unterach am Attersee and an agreement to return Buchenwald (Birkenwald), but when faced with threats of a legal proceeding from the Österreichische Galerie, he decided to settle the matter and donate the paintings in the hope that he would obtain support for export permits for other artworks.

 Misstatement number two: ". . . noch habe ein Verfahren nach dem Ausfuhrverbotsgesetz stattgefunden."

 Nowhere in the new law does it suggest that the paintings sought to be recovered must themselves have been the subject of an Ausfuhrverbot. Indeed, the whole purpose of the new law is to return artworks that were donated in exchange for export permits that had been denied for other artworks.  That is precisely what happened to the Klimt paintings. Just as Dr. Rinesch had hoped, the heirs were able to obtain export permits for other artworks because they had agreed to donate the Klimt paintings.

 For example, after many delays, Dr. Garzarolli wrote to the Bundesdenkmalamt on July 21, 1949 supporting Dr. Rinesch's efforts to secure export permits for other paintings.  In making his recommendation, Dr. Garzarolli relied on the heirs' donation of the Klimt paintings, despite the admitted weakness of the museum's claim to the paintings:

 Es haben nämlich die Erben des Präs. Ferd. Bloch-Bauer die von diesem für seinen Todesfall ausgesprochene Erklärung beim Bezirksgerichte Wien 1 den Schenkungswillen seiner verstorbenen Gattin von fünf Gemälden Gustav Klimts an die österr. Galerie achten zu wollen, trotz verschiedener während der NS-Zeit durch den rechtsvertreter des Präs. Bloch Bauer erfolgter Transaktionen, welche die Situation der österr. Galerie überaus verschlechterten, sofort annerkannt und dadurch eine Lage geschaffen, die die österr. Galerie in die Lage versetzt, dieses Legat tatsächlich zu erhalten.

 It is clear that if had Dr. Rinesch attempted to seek export permits for the Klimt paintings, such permits would have been denied, based on the recommendations of the Österreichische Galerie.  The law generally does not require a futile act.

 Of course, what difference does it make whether the paintings were returned by a restitution proceeding and formally denied export permits before being donated to the federal museums (who in this case already had possession of three of the paintings)?  Does the Beirat really believe that the heirs' attorney was required to waste his time and money on futile legal proceedings before making a deal for export permits for other artworks? What point would there have been to fight for restitution of the paintings and apply for an export permit, when in the end the best possible solution was to donate the paintings and try to get export permits for other works? Are the heirs really to be disadvantaged because of the strategy taken by Dr. Rinesch in the face of the well-known tactics of Dr. Garzarolli and Dr. Demus?

 Misstatement number three: "Auch datiere der Rechtsgrund für das Eigentum der Österreichischen Galerie an diesen Bildern bereits aus dem Jahr 1925, somit lange vor der Errichtung der Nationalsozialistischen Gewaltherrschaft, sodass auch der sogenannte 'Nichtigkeitstatbestand' des Rückgabegesetzes nicht gegeben ist."

 The Österreichische Galerie had no legal right to the Klimt paintings under Adele's will, as explained in great detail in Dr. Lintl's opinions of March 9, 1998 and June 24, 1998 (which were improperly withheld by Dr. Kremser and Dr. Wran from the other members of the Beirat).  The paintings belonged to Ferdinand, not Adele, and Adele's wishes were not legally binding, as Ferdinand maintained already in 1926.  Despite numerous requests, the Beirat has never explained its untenable legal position.  If the Beirat is so confident in its view, why does it hide behind a wall of secrecy and not let the heirs see its opinion?

 The truth is that Ferdinand was not legally obligated to donate his paintings to the Österreichische Galerie.  The paintings were then stolen from him, three of them by the Österreichische Galerie itself, during his lifetime. Neither Ferdinand, nor his heirs were legally required to make a donation.

 Misstatement number four: "Der Familie Bloch-Bauer war es auch stets bewusst, dass diese Gemälde nach dem Wunsche von Adele Bloch-Bauer für die Österreichische Galerie bestimmt waren.  Dafür sprechen zahlreiche Indizien, wie etwa der Umstand, dass bereits im Jahre 1936 das Gemälde "Schloss Kammer am Attersee" von Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer der Österreichischen Galerie im Sinne dieses Wunsches als Widmung übergeben wurde."

 There is no written document from Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, or any of his heirs, stating an intention to give the Klimt paintings to the Österreichische Galerie.  On the contrary, Ferdinand gave his entire estate to his heirs and voided all prior testamentary dispositions.  The heirs made no donation, rather it was done on April 10, 1948 by Dr. Rinesch, before the heirs were even informed of the true contents of Adele's will, which Dr. Rinesch saw for the first time on the day he made the agreement with Dr. Garzarolli.  It defies belief that the Beireit would rely on Ferdinand's donation of one painting in 1936, as a legal basis for the subsequent theft of five other paintings during his lifetime.  No serious person could make such an assertion.  Even if one were to claim that Ferdinand intended to donate the paintings to the Österreichische Galerie before 1938, one would have to deny the very history the law is trying to rectify, if one were to claim that after the Österreichische Galerie conspired with the Nazis to liquidate Ferdinand's entire estate, that Ferdinand and his heirs intended, and were legally required to carry out, Adele's unenforceable wish of 1925.

 Minister Gehrer, we appeal to your sense of justice, with the hope that you will rectify the errors of the misinformed Beirat. We stand ready at any time to discuss the underlying facts and legal issues with you.  If necessary, a neutral arbitration could resolve the matter. We are confident that if the true facts are known, that the Klimt paintings will be returned.  I am confident that you will understand that if you are to succeed in making a "reinen Tisch" in Austria, the Klimt paintings must be given back.

 I look forward to hearing from you soon on this important matter.

   Very truly yours,

   E. Randol Schoenberg

Attachments

cc:  Mrs. Maria Altmann

 Mr. Francis Gutmann

 Mr. George Bentley

 Mr. Trevor Mantle

 Bundesminister Rudolf Edlinger

 Bundesminister Dr. Werner Fasslabend

 Bundesminister Dr. Hannes Farnleitner

 Sektionsleiter Dr. Rudolf Wran

 Vizepräsident Dr. Manfred Kremser

 Univ.Prof. Dr. Ernst Bacher

bcc: Stephen D. Alexander, Esq.

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