Nazi-Looted Painting Returned to Jewish Dealer’s Heirs
The painting depicts Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and has been returned to the heirs of prominent Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker
Amsterdam resident Robert van der Hoek (center), crime reporter John van den Heuvel (left) and art detective Arthur Brand (right). Courtesy Arthur Brand, via X
A Nazi-looted painting which depicts Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and was likely created by Dutch Golden Age artist Hendrick van der Burgh has been returned to the heirs of prominent Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, as reported by De Telegraaf.
Decades ago the painting had been recovered from a pile of rubbish on the side of the street by an Amsterdam resident, who contacted De Telegraaf’s crime reporter John van den Heuvel. He would work with art detective Arthur Brand to uncover the painting’s identity and history. Brand was able to confirm that the painting had belonged to the Goudstikker collection.
Goudstikker fled the Netherlands in 1940 during its invasion by Nazi Germany, leaving his collection of around 1,400 paintings which were quickly looted by the Nazis, including Hermann Göring. Following the war, artwork discovered by the Allied forces were given to the Dutch government, who restituted 202 paintings to Goudstikker’s heirs in 2006.
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