Families sold art to survive Holocaust, now seek return
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In the Netherlands, descendants of Jewish families are seeking the return of artwork sold during the Holocaust to fund their escape from Nazi persecution.
Writer Diederik Oostdijk investigated cases of “survival art”, pieces sold by Jewish owners not as theft, but as a means of securing funds for flight. One example is ‘The Flag Bearer,’ a 17th-century painting once owned by the Schülein family, which has been held in a Dutch state depot for decades.
Jan-Willem Elte, grandson of banker and art collector Julius Schülein, recently viewed the painting for the first time. His grandmother, Hansje Schülein, sold ‘The Flag Bearer’ for 24,000 guilders in 1941 to an art historian working for Adolf Hitler. Elte believes the sale was necessary to protect his father, who was engaged to Hansje and at risk of arrest. The painting became part of Hitler’s planned collection for a museum in Linz, Austria.
The Restitution Committee is now reviewing Elte’s request to reclaim the artwork. The committee assesses whether objects were sold voluntarily or under duress, considering if the sale directly related to survival during the Nazi regime. Committee chair Toon van Mierlo explained the NIOD institute conducts detailed historical research into each family’s story and the object’s provenance before the committee offers advice. Oostdijk hopes the painting will return to a museum, allowing the family’s story to be shared with the public.
