The collector and philanthropist Ronald Lauder has long been an advocate for the restitution of cultural artefacts looted by the Nazis in the 1930s and 40s. The Neue Galerie in New York—a museum of German and Austrian art founded by Lauder—now believes it may have found one such work in its own collection, the New York Times reported in August. Lauder and his staff say they are working to determine the next step for the object, which they declined to identify publicly. The gallery’s collection includes works by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Max Beckmann. A spokeswoman for the museum says it is “not 100% certain” that the object will be returned to the family that claims it is rightfully theirs. Some US museums faced with similar conundrums have reached a deal to purchase the contested work back from its original owners so it can remain on public view.
