300-year-old painting returned to German museum after it was stolen by American during WWII

CHICAGO — A painting that was stolen during World War II has been returned from the United States back to a museum in Germany, officials said.

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The FBI’s Art Crime Team in Chicago returned the painting, “Landschaft italienischen Charakters” (Landscape of Italian Character), by the Austrian painter Johann Franz Nepomuk Lauterer to where it came from, the FBI said.

The painting had been missing for more than 70 years, since the beginning of World War II in 1939, authorities said. It showed up in the United States in 2011 and ended up in the possession of a World War II veteran’s descendants who lived in Chicago.

The FBI said the painting was offered for purchase to the Bavarian National Museum, but after unsuccessful negotiations, it was again lost until 2022.

Art Recovery International tracked down the painting after a person reached out last year and claimed that they had a “stolen” painting, according to The Associated Press. The person said their uncle reportedly brought it back to the United States after they had served in the war.

“The crux of our work at Art Recovery International is the research and restitution of artworks looted by Nazis and discovered in public or private collections. On occasion, we come across cases, such as this, where allied soldiers may have taken objects home as souvenirs or as trophies of wars,” said Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, according to the AP.

A member of the FBI’s Art Crime Team reached out to the person, and officials said they met with agents to return the painting later that day.

The FBI said the painting was given to a museum representative in a brief ceremony at the German Consulate in Chicago, the AP reported.

“The FBI’s Art Crime Team has been bringing home stolen art for almost 20 years, and their dedication has led to the recovery of more than 20,000 artifacts valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. It is a pleasure to be able to return this painting to its rightful home at last, and we thank everyone who partnered with us to make this success possible,” said Robert W. Wheeler Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office.

“I am delighted that an art treasure that was believed to have been lost is coming back to Bavaria: the return of the painting by Johann Franz Nepomuk Lauterer to the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen is not only an act of historical justice but also an expression of the appreciation of our cultural heritage. In particular, I would like to thank the American FBI and all those who participated in the return of the painting on the American and German sides,” said Markus Blume, the Bavarian State Minister for Science and Arts.

“The reuniting of Lauterer’s complementary landscapes is a real stroke of good fortune. A presentation of the restored companion works is planned for the near future,” said Bernd Ebert, head of the Dutch and German Baroque Painting Collections.

The “Landscape of Italian Character,” painting will reunite with “its counterpart,” museum officials said, according to the AP.

“The two paintings together form a panoramic scene featuring shepherds and travelers with their goats, cows, donkeys and sheep at a ford in a river,” the AP reported.

It will be the first time they have been displayed together since World War II the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Ebert said.