Berlin, Germany
Nine Itamar Zion Yehiel embroideries stolen in Berlin
Berlin police reported that nine unique framed sculptural embroideries were taken from a van in Kreuzberg. Photo: Berlin Police.
THE ARCHIVE BY COUNTRY
Germany
Published reports from our archive, newest first.
A country may refer to the theft, recovery, return or legal proceedings. A case can be linked to more than one country.
89 reports · Page 2 / 5
Berlin, Germany
Oil painting of a monk with a jug stolen in Berlin
Berlin police reported that an oil painting depicting a man holding a jug had been stolen from a flat in Pankow in July. Photo: Berlin Police.
Heinrich Martens’s bronze girl with a ball, before the theft; police/city appeal photograph. Image source ↗
Monheim am Rhein, Germany
Heinrich Martens bronze girl stolen from Monheim civic centre
Police reported the theft of Heinrich Martens’s bronze girl holding a ball from Baumberger Bürgerhaus between 26 and 27 June 2024. The roughly one-metre figure, weighing over 60 kg, was cut from its base. The city advertised €5,000 for information leading to its discovery. This is the status in the 28 June police appeal; no recovery or arrest was announced. Photo supplied with the police/city release.
Compensation agreement keeps Kirchner’s chess scene at Brücke-Museum — artwork or case documentation from the linked image source. Image source ↗
Berlin, Germany
Compensation agreement keeps Kirchner’s chess scene at Brücke-Museum
Victor Wallerstein’s heirs and Berlin reached a fair-and-just settlement concerning Erich Heckel and Otto Mueller Playing Chess. Compensation allowed the painting to remain at the Brücke-Museum, recognising a persecution-related forced sale.
Context photograph · Bavarian National Museum, where the two statuettes were held · Raupach / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5 · resized / redimensionnée Image source ↗
Bavaria, Germany
Bavaria returns three works from Jakob Goldschmidt’s collection
Two Bavarian institutions returned a portrait by Hans Wertinger and two wooden figures of Adam and Eve to the heirs of Jakob Goldschmidt.
Ludwigsfelde, Germany
Neureuther’s 1827 view of Munich stolen from storage
Police sought an 1827 oil painting by Eugen Napoleon Neureuther stolen from a removal company’s warehouse in Ludwigsfelde in 2023. Photo: Berlin Police.
Charles Fazzino’s stolen porcelain apple, edition 34/99, shown in the police appeal. Image source ↗
Hamburg, Germany
Charles Fazzino porcelain apple stolen from a Hamburg gallery
Hamburg police sought a Charles Fazzino porcelain apple decorated with the New York skyline, stolen from a Große Bleichen gallery during opening hours on 28 October 2023. The signed work bears edition number 34/99 and weighs about five kilograms. The 17 January 2024 appeal reports an investigation, not a recovery or conviction. Photo: Polizei Hamburg.
Documentary image: FBI. Image source ↗
Chicago, United States; Germany
Lauterer landscape returned to the Bavarian State Painting Collections
The FBI handed over Johann Franz Nepomuk Lauterer’s Landscape of Italian Character in Chicago. The painting had been missing since 1939 and resurfaced in the United States.
Erik van Lieshout and Andy Hope 1930 paintings stolen in Berlin — artwork or case documentation from the linked image source. Image source ↗
Berlin, Germany
Erik van Lieshout and Andy Hope 1930 paintings stolen in Berlin
Police reported three paintings stolen from a Charlottenburg gallery during 27–28 September 2023: an untitled Erik van Lieshout and two Courbette Industria works by Andy Hope 1930. Recovery is not established by this appeal.
Balthasar Lobo’s stolen original Mutter mit Kind, edition 1/8; Polizei Berlin photograph. Image source ↗
Berlin, Germany
Balthasar Lobo’s Mutter mit Kind stolen in Berlin foundry burglary
Berlin police reported that Balthasar Lobo’s Mutter mit Kind was stolen during a foundry burglary in Altglienicke on 13–14 July 2023. The bronze is number 1 of an edition of eight and bears the Susse Fondeur Paris stamp. Bronze bars, casting remnants and unfinished works were also taken. The appeal reports no recovery or identified offender. Photo: Polizei Berlin, showing the stolen original.
Cologne, Germany
Lempertz plans Pechstein sale after settlement with Walter Blank’s heirs
Lempertz withdrew Max Pechstein’s 1909 Self-Portrait With Pipe from a June 2023 auction after questions arose about its 1936 sale by Jewish physician Walter Blank. In July the auction house said both heirs had signed a new agreement, allowing the picture to be offered again in the autumn.
Roland Lindner’s bronze heron before the theft; image published by Polizei Berlin. Image source ↗
Berlin, Germany
Roland Lindner bronze heron stolen from a Berlin-Frohnau garden
Berlin police reported the theft of a bronze grey heron by Roland Lindner from a property in Frohnau overnight on 4–5 June 2023. The approximately 1.5-metre garden sculpture was damaged; only the legs anchored to its pedestal remained. The 13 June appeal sought information on its whereabouts or any offer for sale or exchange, without announcing a recovery or arrest. Image published by Polizei Berlin; source known to police.
Hagen, Germany
Hagen returns and repurchases Renoir seascape
The city of Hagen returned Renoir’s View of the Sea from Haut Cagnes to the heirs of Jewish banker Jakob Goldschmidt. It then repurchased the painting so it could remain in the Osthaus Museum. Image: City of Hagen.
Lower Austria, Austria / Germany / Romania
Police recover nine Hermann Nitsch works in a cross-border investigation
Austrian police announced the recovery of nine works by Hermann Nitsch. Two had been seized in Vienna in 2021 and seven were located during searches in Germany and Romania in November 2022. Investigators said three other paintings were still missing when they announced the results. Photo of recovered work: Lower Austrian police via ORF.
Berlin, Germany
Two Dave the Chimp drawings stolen from Berlin exhibition
Two framed drawings on paper by Dave the Chimp were stolen from Friendly Capitalism Lounge between 30 and 31 December 2022. Human Bean No. 129 and No. 151 belonged to a series of eight works. Image: Berlin Police.
Three Littmann collection paintings restituted by Neue Nationalgalerie — artwork or case documentation from the linked image source. Image source ↗
Berlin, Germany
Three Littmann collection paintings restituted by Neue Nationalgalerie
The museum restituted paintings by Max Pechstein, Wilhelm Schmid and Carlo Mense to Ismar Littmann’s heirs. The heirs donated Mense’s Double Portrait back to the collection, where its history is explained.
Frau am Fluss before its theft from Goerdeler Park; police appeal photograph. Image source ↗
Duisburg, Germany
Frau am Fluss bronze stolen from Duisburg’s Goerdeler Park
Police reported that the approximately 1.2-metre bronze Frau am Fluss disappeared from Goerdeler Park between 27 and 30 January 2023. The city and Lehmbruck Museum confirmed it had not been removed for conservation. Investigators appealed for witnesses and information on its whereabouts. No recovery or arrest was announced in this release. Photo: Polizei Duisburg.
Bochum, Germany
Six sculptures stolen from Bochum’s Stadtpark
Bochum announced a €2,500 reward for information leading to recovery of the six sculptures or the apprehension of the perpetrators. Current availability of the reward has not been confirmed. Archival photo of the fountain’s fish sculptures: City of Bochum.
Reinhold Böltzig’s Reifenwerferin (Diana), pictured in the Berlin police search notice. Image source ↗
Berlin, Germany
Reinhold Böltzig’s Reifenwerferin stolen from former embassy grounds
Berlin police sought Reinhold Böltzig’s 1908 bronze Reifenwerferin (Diana), about 160 cm tall. It was stolen with other metal inventory from an unused embassy property between December 2021 and June 2022. The 3 January 2023 notice asks where it may have been offered for sale, exchange or as collateral; it announces no recovery or arrest. Photo: Polizei Berlin.
Dresden, Germany
31 objects recovered from Dresden’s Green Vault heist
A substantial portion of the artworks and jewels stolen in November 2019 was recovered in December 2022. The recovery covered part of the stolen collection.
The stolen bronze female figure by Elena Panknin, numbered 1. Photo: Polizei Berlin. Image source ↗
Berlin, Germany
Elena Panknin bronze sculpture stolen during Berlin exhibition opening
Berlin police appealed for information about a bronze female figure by Elena Panknin stolen during an exhibition opening in Mitte between 31 August and 1 September 2022. The signed sculpture is about 60cm tall and numbered 1. Its whereabouts were sought at the release date.