Czech publisher and writer Jiri Kuchar was visiting a Czech monastery recently when he discovered a treasure trove of Adolf Hitler artwork.
The writer says he unearthed seven paintings valued at nearly $2.7 million.
According to Kuchar:
“They’re part of Hitler’s collection of about 45 paintings, about 30 statues, a writing table and some gifts, which was declared former Czechoslovakia’s war booty.”
Before he found the paintings Americans had already taken much of the monastery collection including the Mannheimer collection which was purchased by Adolf Hitler in 1941 and the Rothschild collection which was confiscated by Vienna in 1938.
Paintings left behind included 1943’s “Memory of Stalingrad” by Franz Eichhorts who he calls “Hitler’s ace painter.”
According to AFP:
“The collection was deposited at the southern Czech monastery of Vyssi Brod during World War II, together with two larger collections formerly owned by German-born Jewish banker Fritz Mannheimer and the Rothschild family.”
Kuchar has made it his mission to track down paintings and statues that one belonged to Hitler and over the last five years he has turned up items all over Europe include some pieces that ended up in German and British auction houses.
As the writer says of many pieces of the artwork Hitler once purchased, stole and controlled:
“To put it delicately, let’s say they disappeared.”
It’s likely that many of the lost works will never be found given the channels they have already went through to be procured by unofficial sources.
Do you think many pieces of artwork Hitler once controlled will never be found?
