Watercolor Artist - USA (2020-06)

ArtistsNetwork.com 9

/ WATERCOLORWORLD/

Studyfora TreeTrunk

(1914;watercoloronpaper,25x19)byChristian

Rohlfs,KunstmuseumMoritzburgHalle(Saale)

WATERCOLOR STOLEN BY NAZIS RETURNED

TO ORIGINAL MUSEUM

Another piece of art from the infamous Gurlitt Collection

is being returned to its original home. An early 20th-

century work by German artist Christian Rohlfs (1849–

1938) is headed back to the Kunstmuseum Moritzburg,

inHalle,Germany,andwillsoonbereturnedtoitsorigi-

nalowner,themuseumannounced.Themuseumhailed

“thecomeback”ofthiswatercolorstudyofatreetrunk

paintedbyRohlfs,akeyfigureofGermanexpressionism.

Rohlfs’painting,alongwiththousandsofotherpieces

ofstolenart,endedupinthecollectionofarthistorian

HildebrandGurlitt,whopasseditdowntohisson,

CorneliusGurlitt.Itwasdiscoveredin 2010 whenauthori-

tiesbecamesuspiciousofthethen77-year-oldman

carryingthousandsofdollarsincashonatrainfrom

SwitzerlandtoGermany.AuthoritiessearchedGurlitt’s

Munichapartmentandfoundmyriadlootedtreasures.

Gurlitthadarrangedinhiswilltoleavealloftheart

totheMuseumofFineArtsBern,inSwitzerland;however,

manyofthepiecesthatwereproventobestolenhave

sincebeenreturnedtotheiroriginalownersortothe

owners’descendants.Inastatement,themuseum

expresseditsgratitudethatitwasn’taskedtopay

fortheRohlfspaintingorbidforitatauction.

“

The song

is pure, like

a painting,

a pure

watercolor.

—JOHN LENNON, ”

TALKING ABOUT

THE BEATLES’ SONG

“SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY

HEARTS CLUB BAND”

HULTON ARCHIVE/STRINGER/GETTY IMAGES

PHOTO: KULTURSTIFTUNG SACHSEN-ANHALT