Letters to the Ministry of Education and Culture |
via facsimile: 011-43-1-53-415-252
Univ.Prof. Dr. Ernst Bacher
Bundesdenkmalamt
Schwiezerhof, Säulenstiege
Hofburg
A-1010 Wien
Re: Estate
Thank you so much for your fax of 17 November 1998. I am very pleased that we have opened the lines of communication on this very important and sensitive matter. I apologize for responding in English. Please let me know if it is necessary that I write you in German. I do not want language to be the source of any delay in our correspondence. As I stated in my previous letters, I can read German quite well.
As I wrote to Dr. Holzbauer on Friday, my clients and I would like to assure you and Bundesministerin Gehrer that, contrary to the reports in the various Viennese newspapers, we have absolutely no intention of taking any legal action with respect to the return of property from the estate of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. Rather, our hope is that we can enter a dialogue with you and Bundesministerin Gehrer and can come to some mutual agreement after there has been a thorough review of the documents relating to the estate.
In this regard, I would like to know whether it would be possible for your office to send me by express mail copies of the entire collection of files related to the estate of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. Dr. Holzbauer stated that there were 477 pages in your files. Dr. Gröning also responded to my email that the documents from the Albertina have been sent to the Bundesdenkmalamt. I do not know yet whether you have collected documents from the Österreichische Galerie, the Museum für angewandte Kunst, the Bezirksgericht Wien I, the Staatsarchiv, the files of the attorneys Dr. Erich Führer or Dr. Gustav Rinsech, or any other sources.
As of now I do not have any "Mitarbeitern" in Vienna with regard to this matter, but I could certainly find someone, if that is necessary. Please let me know as soon as possible if it will be necessary for me to send someone to the Bundesdenkmalamt, or any of the other sources, for documents, or whether you will kindly send me copies by express mail. As I told Dr. Holzbauer, I believe it will be very important to research the files of the Bezirksgericht related to the will of Adele Bloch-Bauer, if you have not already done so.
I understand from the newspapers that you will be traveling to the United States at the end of this month to attend the conference in Washington, D.C. Perhaps we can arrange a meeting or at least a telephone call during his trip. Is there a possibility for you to come to Los Angeles? Given the importance of the Bloch-Bauer collection, I would think such a trip could be justified. Mrs. Altmann and I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you.
From our perspective, there are a number of very important questions that must be investigated and discussed before there can be a proper resolution of the return of property to the heirs of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. The statements we have read in the press, especially with regard to the Klimt paintings, are in many ways contradictory or irreconcilable with the facts as we know them, and we have not seen sufficient documentary evidence to evaluate conclusively the validity of the positions taken. I hope that there will be an opportunity for us to present our questions, concerns and conclusions to you and the Beirat prior to a final resolution of the matter.
Congratulations again on the passage of the new law. We hope to hear from you again in the very near future.
Very truly yours,
E. Randol Schoenberg
cc: Bundesministerin Elisabeth Gehrer
bcc: Mrs. Maria Altmann
Francis Gutmann
George Bentley
Philip Altmann, Esq.
John Dobbin, Esq.
Stephen D. Alexander, Esq.
