Louvre museum returns Nazi-looted artwork (BBC)

[frazzled]

11. That was only one of the five paintings recovered. The rest went to private owners.

Ron Lauder is a billionnaire, one of the wealthiest men in the world (according to Forbes) and can pay whatever price he wants. And the Neue Galerie is more or less his personal domain. (Disclosure: I have worked on publications for the Neue Galerie, so I know it quite well. I don't need directions on how to get there. Further disclosure: I am a Jew. Third disclosure: a friend's father was the head of the military unit that recovered much of the Nazi looted art.) Museums, even the Met, cannot compete in that kind of private market, and were basically locked out of any kind of access to purchasing the rest of the paintings.

I think you have misunderstood my intentions, and my references. Nowhere in my statements did I ever say the family should not sell them. Nowhere did I say they should have donated or sold them in Vienna.

What I might point out is how Christie's was at the center of these mega-million dollar deals. They profited handsomely. There are also issues regarding Mr. Lauder (Ronald, not Leonard), including questions about his political interventions and his tax schemes.

It's not all about pretty pictures.