Another successful restitution arranged by Lempertz

Lempertz regularly celebrates successes in mediating the restitution of looted art. The most recent example is Francesco di Lorenzo Rosselli's ‘Resurrection of Christ’, formerly owned by the Jacques Goudstikker Gallery, which achieved an auction result well above the estimate for the benefit of its rightful heirs.

The artistic quality of this small panel by Florentine Renaissance painter Francesco Roselli makes it a rare treasure. The history of this painting also has some extremely exciting twists and turns, and its story has now come to a happy conclusion in the auction ‘50 Lots – My Choice’ at Lempertz in Cologne. 

Jacques Goudstikker was one of the most important art dealers of his time. In 1940, persecution by the Nazis forced him into exile. However, he died in an accident on the ship that was supposed to take him to England. He had been forced to leave his gallery's inventory behind in Amsterdam, including Rosselli's ‘Resurrection of Christ’. 

Hermann Göring acquired it along with other masterpieces from Goudstikker's Gallery with the help of Alois Miedl. That same year, the Resurrection was sold at Lange Auction House in Berlin.

Thanks to the mediation of Kunsthaus Lempertz, a fair and equitable solution between the two parties was finally reached after 85 years. The painting was auctioned on 4th December, and fetched €138,000, well above expectations. This was a success for both the heirs and the previous owners of this ‘Resurrection of Christ’.

For decades, Lempertz has repeatedly brokered fair solutions such as this one in restitution cases.

Jan Bykowski
Press and Public Relations
info@lempertz.com
Tel. 0221 925729 -57