In a ceremony at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Superintendent Harris and Rachida Dati, the French Minister of Culture, returned Vittore Carpaccio: The Life and Work of the Painter to the daughter of Dr. August Liebmann Mayer, a renowned art historian and prominent curator.
“The resolution of this matter reflects the tireless efforts of the Department’s Holocaust Claims Processing Office and the invaluable collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture and the Bibliothèque nationale de France,” said Superintendent Harris. “Today we celebrate the life and work of Dr. Mayer, preserving his legacy and bringing long-overdue justice to his family. The Department will continue its work to return lost funds and artwork to survivors and their families in partnership with international governments, cultural institutions, nonprofits, and others.”
The book by Gustav Ludwig and Pompeo Molmenti entitled Vittore Carpaccio: The Life and Work of the Painter, translated by H. L. de Perera, Paris, Hachette, 1910, was once part of the extensive library of Dr. Mayer. Due to ongoing anti-Semitism, Dr. Mayer resigned from his positions at the Bavarian State Paintings Collection and the University of Munich. On March 24, 1933, Dr. Mayer was arrested; his Munich home was searched; and his property was seized. During his detention, which lasted several months, Mayer was harassed and repeatedly tortured.
In 1935, hoping to escape Nazi persecution, Dr. Mayer fled with his family to Paris. However, when the Nazis invaded France, Dr. Mayer was once again a target of Nazi discrimination. His Parisian home was looted by the infamous Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR). Among the items seized in 1942 was his voluminous art library, which in part was confiscated by Hermann Goering. Dr. Mayer was arrested, taken to Drancy, and deported to Auschwitz where he was murdered on March 12, 1944.
The book is being returned as a result of the close cooperation between the Department of Financial Services Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) and the of Mission de recherche et de restitution des biens culturels spoliés entre 1933 et 1945 (M2RS) under the purview of the French Ministry of Culture. M2RS is responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing the research and restitution policy of the Ministry. The book is the first item to be returned under the new law enacted in France in July 2023 that enables the deaccessioning of Nazi-spoliated works of art from French public collections.
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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