Basel art museum rejects restitution claim for Henri Rousseau painting
Basel's Kunstmuseum has rejected a request to return a painting by Henri Rousseau acquired in 1940 and considered to be sold under duress. Talks are now underway for "fair and equitable" compensation. The painting in question is La muse inspirant son poète (The muse inspiring the poet) painted in 1909 by Henri Rousseau, the Basel Kunstmuseum said on Tuesday. The museum bought the work in 1940 from Countess Charlotte von Wesdehlen. In 2021, a claimant's lawyers contacted the museum to request its return. The Kunstmuseum's art commission then investigated the context in which the painting was acquired. The result was communicated to the claimant's lawyers at a meeting in June 2022. According to the museum, the claimant's representatives have asked for the work to be returned. + There’s a lot of Nazi-looted art in Switzerland Restitution requested in 2022 The Basel museum's provenance research department has established the historical facts. A working group was set up to discuss...