Tarquin and Lucretia by Rubens
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Germany wants Rubens Back
December 22, Germany government threatens with legal action against the Russian collector if he does not return the famous Tarquin and Lucretia by Rubens, Germany's culture minister, Christina Weiss, said yesterday. The Guardian writes that she would be raising the case of the missing Rubens with her Russian opposite number, Alexander Sokolov, who arrived in Germany as member of Putin’s delegation.
Germany insists that Russian businessman Vladimir Logvinenko owns the painting illegally. The painting was last seen in 1942 in a gallery in Potsdam, it is considered a displaced value, and is subject to be returned to Germany by the Russian restitution law, experts from Munich institute of Easter Europe law think. The German government is ready to file a lawsuit in one of Russia’s courts.
It appears that a Russian officer acquired the painting in April 1945 as the Red Army overwhelmed Nazi Germany - possibly from a country mansion belonging to Joseph Goebbels. Logvinenko purchased it from the officer’s daughter and had it restored, since it had lost about 80 percent of paint layer. Rubens’ authorship was discovered during the restoration process. Logvinenko offered to sell it to the former owner Potsdam Gallery.
After that the German Prosecutor’s office started a criminal case against Logvinenko. Germany turned to Russia for help. However, Russia's prosecutor general's office ruled that Logvinenko was the Rubens' rightful owner, and said he had not broken any Russian laws in acquiring it. Two months ago a court in Germany also ruled that the German government had not produced enough evidence to show the Rubens was stolen.
Logvinenko refuses to give back the painting for free. Earlier, he said he was going to pass Tarquin and Lucretia to the Hermitage for complete restoration and following exposition.
The painting is dates between 1610-1611 and is 1.87 by 2.14 meters estimated more than $80 million. It had been folded for more than 50 years, which contributed to its poor condition.
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