Senators Back Descendants in Nazi-Looted Art Restitution Lawsuit

Richard Blumenthal and John Cornyn submitted an amicus brief in a New York federal lawsuit brought by the family of Austrian Jewish collector Fritz Grünbaum, who perished in Dachau. The heirs aim to reclaim Egon Schiele paintings taken by the Nazis and now held by the Republic of Austria and its museums. Their brief upholds the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, contending that Congress has authority to address war-related losses and foreign commerce issues.

The senators highlighted that Nazi art theft was a personal violation beyond mere property loss. The litigation is before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Grünbaum’s family has already recovered several other Schiele pieces, and the brief seeks to ensure one outlet claims can proceed.