The offending work of art, entitled “Komm Frau,” German for “Come Here Woman,” had been installed on Gdansk’s Avenue of Victory on Saturday. Polish authorities removed the statue on Sunday, saying that it had been put there illegally, while Szumczyk was brought in for questioning by . . . . “ Read the rest of the article here.
Jerzy Szumczyk, a twenty-six year old student of the arts, was in the process of researching the Russian Army’s march into Germany when he was struck by what he had been studying. His studies led him to WWII and Gdansk’s German population (making up nearly 95% of the city in the 1940s) during WWII as Russia moved through Poland on its way to Germany (2). The army worked (more…)
Attorney Steven Schlesinger argued that the estate of Riven Flamenbaum has a legal claim, whether the native of Poland bought the relic from a Russian soldier or simply took it to compensate for losing his family at Auschwitz, the concentration camp where he spent several years. . . “ Read rest of article here .
The interesting part of this case is the legal element. The concept of repatriation has been cause for much debate in the art world, particularly in regards to cultural resources taken in times of war. The current world conflicts have only added to the anxiety of the issue, and this case regarding an WWII dispute may actually have bearing on cases dealing with items looted in war-torn countries today.
Note that the Holocaust survivor’s attorney is arguing that the laws of war as in place at the time of the war should be applied to the case raised today. Many cultural resource attorneys/parties have argued that rather the modern laws protecting cultural resources should be applied retroactively (i.e. to situations that happened before the law was enacted) because we are currently more interested in (more…)
The Cultured Muse 