Switzerland’s renowned Kunstmuseum Basel announced on January 16 that it would not be restituting the Henri Rousseau painting purchased from German countess Charlotte von Wesdehlen in 1940. Contrary to Nazi loot, the museum categorized the artwork as a “flight asset,” stating that it was not relinquished due to Nazi persecution.
The Kunstmuseum Basel acquired the 1909 work titled “La muse inspirant le poete / c” from the fleeing countess, who had escaped Berlin. In 2021, lawyers representing one of her successors approached the museum, requesting an investigation into the acquisition, and in 2022, sought restitution. After a thorough research process, the museum, home to over 300,000 works, determined that the painting fell under the category of “flight asset,” rather than being subjected to Nazi persecution.
In a statement, the museum declared that the findings “do not support the right to restitution of the painting.” Instead, the institution advocated for negotiations to achieve a “just and fair solution,” a process that has already commenced.
Distinguishing flight assets from looted art taken from Jewish owners during the Nazi regime, the museum defined flight assets as “works of art that owners persecuted by the Nazis managed to bring to a comparatively safe country, such as Switzerland, and then sold there.” While acknowledging that these sales were prompted by Nazi policies of persecution, expropriation, and looting, the museum emphasized that owners of flight assets often received market-based prices for their art and were free to use the proceeds as they wished.
The German countess, Charlotte von Wesdehlen, a naturalized Swiss citizen of Jewish origin, had to flee her home in Berlin due to Nazi persecution and sold the artwork to support herself in Switzerland. The museum noted that the sale price was low, and the circumstances did not warrant restitution. However, the institution emphasized the pursuit of a “just and fair” solution, aligning with the Washington Principles on flight asset purchases.
Currently displayed in a special exhibition, the Rousseau painting will be accompanied by a sign detailing its origins when it returns to the regular exhibition collection.
