Government of The Netherlands Returns Brueghel Work to Max Stern Estate

Montreal, November 17 (ots/PRNewswire) - Concordia University in
Montreal, Canada, acting on behalf of the executors of the Estate of
Dr. Max Stern and its three university beneficiaries (Concordia,
McGill University/Montreal, Hebrew University/Jerusalem) announces
the restitution of another Old Master painting belonging to the
Jewish art dealer's collection. "Allegory of Earth and Water," by Jan
Brueghel the Younger (1601-1678), was discovered to have been looted
by the Nazis in the period surrounding World War Two.

The Brueghel was returned today during a ceremony held at The
Hague at the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage. The
painting will be placed on exhibition next month at The Montreal
Museum of Fine Arts.

In 2005, the Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) of the New
York State Banking Department discovered that the Brueghel was listed
in the database of The Netherlands government's Origins Unknown
Agency - which investigates the ownership history of paintings held
in the Dutch national collection. The HCPO submitted a claim to The
Netherlands' Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, which
referred it to the country's Restitutions Committee.

The Committee's fact-finding investigation revealed that after
the painting had been removed from Dr. Stern's possession in the
1930s, it surfaced a short while later with Jan Dik Jr., a Dutch art
dealer who acted as a middleman for the Nazis. From Dik, the painting
went to the Hamburg Kunsthalle museum. The Allies recovered the
Brueghel and transferred custody of the painting to The Netherlands.
The painting was most recently on display at the Noordbrabants Museum
in Den Bosch.

The Max Stern Art Restitution Project is spearheaded by Concordia
through the office of Dr. Clarence Epstein, working in close
collaboration with the HCPO, The U.S. Department of Homeland
Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and INTERPOL.

Media Contact: Dr. Clarence Epstein, Director, Special
Projects/Cultural Affairs , Office of the President, Concordia
University: Clarence.epstein@concordia.ca

On the Web:

- Restitutions Committee recommendations
http://www.restitutiecommissie.nl/en
- Max Stern Art Restitution Project: http://maxsternproject.concordia.ca/
Source:
Fiona Downey
Media Relations Advisor
Concordia University
Tel.: +1-514-848-2424 ext. 2518
Mobile: +1-514-518-3336

ots Originaltext: Concordia University
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
CONTACT: Fiona Downey, Media Relations Advisor, Concordia
University,Tel.: +1-514-848-2424 ext. 2518, Mobile: +1-514-518-3336