Art

Four Decades Later East German Art Heist Mystery Nears Resolution

Forty years ago, thieves swiped five valuable paintings from an East German museum. Now, they have finally been returned, thanks largely to the mayor of the town from which they were taken. But the mystery hasn't yet been solved. Von Konstantin von Hammerstein

East German Art Heist Mystery Nears Resolution - BStU

A Hidden Legacy Time for a New Look at Nazi Art

Thousands of artworks from the Nazi period lie hidden away in storage depots, far from the public eye. The U.S. also holds a number of paintings, drawings and sculptures from the Third Reich under lock and key. It is time that they be more closely examined. Von Ulrike Knöfel

Time for a New Look at Nazi Art - Jeff Elkins/ Washingtonian

Interview with Exiled Iranian Empress Pahlavi 'We Wanted to Create Progress in Iran'

The collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art was to be shown in Berlin in December, but Iranian officials declined permission to send the artworks out of the country. SPIEGEL spoke with former Empress Farah Pahlavi, who assembled the collection in the 1970s. She's been living in exile for 38 years.

'We Wanted to Create Progress in Iran' - Jerome Bonnet / DER SPIEGEL

One Helluva Fella The Horrifically Contemporary World of Hieronymus Bosch

Impaled heads and burning bodies: Hieronymus Bosch, the great Dutch painter whose images depicted the horrors and terror of the past, present and future, died 500 years ago. In the era of Abu Ghraib and Islamic State, his work feels as contemporary as ever. Von Ulrike Knöfel

The Horrifically Contemporary World of Hieronymus Bosch - Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid/ Depósito de Patrimonio Nacional

Lucrative Loot The Murky World of the Ancient Artifact Market

A new law in Germany seeks to eliminate the trade in ancient artifacts. It was written to target people like Leonardo Patterson, whose long career selling plundered objects from Central America throws a spotlight on the dubious industry. Von Konstantin von Hammerstein

The Murky World of the Ancient Artifact Market - Peter Schinzler/ DER SPIEGEL

Balky Bavarians US Congress Demands Action on Nazi Looted Art

Are artworks looted by the Nazis from Jewish collectors still hanging in Bavarian museums? Twenty-nine members of the US Congress think so, and have written a letter to the German state demanding that officials stop dragging their feet on restitution. Von Ulrike Knöfel

US Congress Demands Action on Nazi Looted Art - DPA

Hitler's Bronze Horses How Fans Smuggled Nazi Art To West Germany

In one of the most curious stories of art smuggling from the Eastern Bloc prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, two classic car dealers smuggled Nazi artworks from a Soviet barracks to West Germany in 1989. The full account is only now coming to light. Von Konstantin von Hammerstein

How Fans Smuggled Nazi Art To West Germany - Peter Schmitz

'Nobody Has Endless Strength' Ai Weiwei's New Life in Europe

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was finally given his passport back and immediately left the country to join his family in Germany. But he is unsettled by his newfound freedom and he is searching for a new role. SPIEGEL caught up with him in Munich. Von Bernhard Zand

Ai Weiwei's New Life in Europe - Dieter Mayr/ DER SPIEGEL

Art World Hunt The Quest for Hitler's Lost Treasures

A Dutch detective and Berlin police spent months searching for art commissioned by Hitler that went missing after German reunification. Officials finally recovered the dubious works in raids last week -- here's how they did it. Von Konstantin von Hammerstein

The Quest for Hitler's Lost Treasures - DPA

Nazi Art Sculptures from Hitler's Chancellery Discovered

The sculptures had been missing for decades. But on Wednesday, investigators found pieces of Nazi art that had once adorned Hitler's Chancellery in Berlin.

Sculptures from Hitler's Chancellery Discovered - picture alliance/ akg-images

City of Losers? Charleroi Spurs Debate after Revocation of Photo Award

Italian photographer Giovanni Troilo won the World Press Photo Award in February, but it was revoked in March. The city he portrayed, Charleroi in Belgium, complained that his photos were more fiction than reality. Where should the line be drawn? Von Christoph Scheuermann

Charleroi Spurs Debate after Revocation of Photo Award - Natalie Hill/ DER SPIEGEL

Head-On Collision Photography Legends Test Drive Google Glass

Elliot Erwitt and Bruce Gilden are street photography legends who use Leica cameras and black and white film as their weapons of choice. When they meet Google Glass for the first time, it feels like a head-on collision between old masters and new technology. Von Matthias Krug und Hilmar Schmundt

Photography Legends Test Drive Google Glass - Natan Dvir / DER SPIEGEL

From Berlin to Santa Monica Isherwood's Legacy Lives on in Don Bachardy

In 1968, David Hockney completed a portrait of one of the 20th century's most vibrant pairings: author Christopher Isherwood and artist Don Bachardy. The gay couple opened their home, where the painter still lives today, to Hollywood's luminaries. Von Philipp Oehmke

Isherwood's Legacy Lives on in Don Bachardy - Robert Gallagher/ DER SPIEGEL

East Germany's Blood Art No Justice for Victims of Regime's Treasure Hunt

East German officials systematically stole from the country's art collectors and sold their possessions to raise hard currency. Families have sought for years to reclaim the treasures or to obtain compensation. In a rare success, one family in America recently retrieved some of its heirlooms. Von Rainer Erices, Nicola Kuhrt und Peter Wensierski

No Justice for Victims of Regime's Treasure Hunt - Joanna Nottebrock/ DER SPIEGEL

Bad Fit Why Germany Doesn't Cut It in International Fashion

Berlin Fashion Week is underway, but A-listers are keeping their distance. The event has failed to put the German capital on the clothing map. A closer look at the career trajectory of designer Kostas Murkudis provides some insight into the reasons why. Von Mareike Nieberding

Why Germany Doesn't Cut It in International Fashion - REUTERS

Stuck in Germany? Dispute Brews over Gurlitt Collection

Before his death, Munich art heir Cornelius Gurlitt willed his collection to a major art museum in Switzerland. The move will spare Germans some headaches, but numerous disputes over the paintings' future home is brewing. Von SPIEGEL Staff

Gurlitt Fallout New Yorker Fights to Regain Family Heirloom

During the Nazi era, David Toren's great-uncle was robbed of his art collection. Now one of the paintings has been recovered in Cornelius Gurlitt's Munich apartment, and Toren is fighting to get it back. But the Germans aren't making it easy. Von Ulrike Knöfel

New Yorker Fights to Regain Family Heirloom - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Art Dealer to the Führer Hildebrand Gurlitt's Deep Nazi Ties

Hildebrand Gurlitt, the man who assembled the astounding art collection recently discovered in a Munich apartment, was more deeply involved in the trade of looted artworks than had been previously assumed. He also profited from Nazi injustices after the war.

Hildebrand Gurlitt's Deep Nazi Ties - DPA

Monuments Men The Soldiers Who Saved Europe's Art from Hitler

The story of a special Allied unit dubbed the "Monuments Men" has inspired a Hollywood film set to premier early next year. But who were these men who saved countless European cultural treasures from being lost or destroyed by Nazi forces? Von Yvonne Schymura

The Soldiers Who Saved Europe's Art from Hitler - AP/U.S. National Archives

Psychiatric Breakthrough When Illness Inspires Great Art

From hermaphroditic wood carvings to stacks of 250,000 papers, a collection showcases the greatest artistic works by German psychiatric patients. Von Jana Hauschild