Home
Politics
A press release said neither the parks authority nor the Hearst family had been aware of the origins of the paintings, which were seized from Jakob and Rosa Oppenheimer's Berlin art gallery in 1935 and forcibly sold.
The Los Angeles Times reported that two of the Italian Renaissance paintings would be repatriated while the Oppenheimers' descendants would allow the third to remain at Hearst Castle for educational purposes.
The state began researching the origins of the Hearst paintings in 2007, agreeing with an attorney that they were sold at a Nazi "judenauktionen" -- a forced sale aimed at looting Jews of valuable assets.
"This is an opportunity to right a wrong," California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman told the Times. "It also gives us a chance to tell the story over and over, so we don't forget our history. Every time someone tours the castle, they'll be learning about this."
Peter Bloch, one of the Oppenheimers' grandchildren who lives in Florida, welcomed the decision to keep a painting at the castle, the 165-room pleasure palace built by Hearst in 1919 and donated to California authorities in 1957.
"I think it's marvelous that the state will continue educating people as to what occurred," Bloch told the Times.
"The family very willingly agreed to that."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Los Angeles Times reported that two of the Italian Renaissance paintings would be repatriated while the Oppenheimers' descendants would allow the third to remain at Hearst Castle for educational purposes.
The state began researching the origins of the Hearst paintings in 2007, agreeing with an attorney that they were sold at a Nazi "judenauktionen" -- a forced sale aimed at looting Jews of valuable assets.
"This is an opportunity to right a wrong," California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman told the Times. "It also gives us a chance to tell the story over and over, so we don't forget our history. Every time someone tours the castle, they'll be learning about this."
Peter Bloch, one of the Oppenheimers' grandchildren who lives in Florida, welcomed the decision to keep a painting at the castle, the 165-room pleasure palace built by Hearst in 1919 and donated to California authorities in 1957.
"I think it's marvelous that the state will continue educating people as to what occurred," Bloch told the Times.
"The family very willingly agreed to that."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
