Florida Gallery Investigates Nazi Stolen Art

From Pri's The World: Florida Gallery Investigates Nazi Stolen Art

Anchor Marco Werman talks to Chucha Barber, CEO of the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science in Tallahassee, Fla., about a 16th century Italian painting on display now.

While the painting was on display, the museum found out it may have been stolen from an Italian family by the Nazis during World War II.

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman, this is The World. Today in Washington US officials formerly returned a painting to the French government. It was a nineteenth century canvas stolen from a French town by German troops at the end of WWII. The painting changed hands many times before ending up in a New York art gallery. That scenario has played out many times in recent years at various American art institutions. It’s happening right now at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science in Tallahassee, Florida. A sixteenth century Italian painting on display there is at the center of an ownership dispute. Chucha Barber is the Brogan Museum’s Chief Executive Officer. She says the painting came as part of a loan from a museum in Milan, Italy.

Chucha Barber: The Brogan Museum borrowed from the Pinacoteca di Brera 50 beautiful masterpieces. And one of them is alleged to have been stolen by Nazis from a private family. And so when the exhibition concluded 49 of the paintings were returned to the Pinacoteca di Brera, but one remains on display at the Brogan Museum.

Werman: So tell us about the painting, what’s its name, who painted it and what do we see in it?

Barber: Well, the translation of the title of the painting was presented to us as Christ with a cross and a Rascal. But the painting has other titles. And it is a beautiful painting by an artist known as Romano, and the cloak that Christ is wearing in the painting is a beautiful tangerine satin. And what makes this painting so brilliant in my opinion is that the artist truly captured the sheen of the satin with his brush strokes. It’s just amazing painting.

Werman: So the painting is on display now. Is it attracting more visitors to the museum?

Barber: It is indeed. The US Attorney’s office wanted the painting to stay in the United States, and so we have an extension for this painting through November 20. When we received permission to maintain custody of the painting and put it on display, we relocated the painting from where it was originally hung in the gallery to a very secure environment. And before we could finalize its relocation we literally had people lining up at the door wanting to come in to see the painting. So yes, it has generated interest and people are coming to the museum expressly to see the painting.

Werman: Where are the grandchildren of the painting’s presumed owners today? Do you know and what are they saying about where it should be?

Barber: I have only had direct contact with one of the grandchildren and he live in London. I know from my conversations with him that he has a sibling that lives in France, and I know he has another sibling that also lives in the United Kingdom. And what Lionel Salem, one of the grandchildren, has shared with me is that he and his family are immensely grateful for the opportunity to have discussion about the recovery of the painting for the family, but he says there are five family members that have a vested interest in the painting and you can’t cut the painting into five pieces. So I believe that the family is very receptive to an opportunity for the Pinacoteca di Brera to continue to have ownership of the painting and display it with some mutually agreed upon text about its history if they receive appropriate compensation.

Werman: And you, Ms. Barber, do you secretly hope this masterpiece by Girolamo Romano will never leave the Brogan?

Barber: No, I do not hope that. I hope that if what is alleged to be true, and I personally believe that it is, I believe that the family deserves to have this matter resolved in their favor. And I believe that the family very much wants this to be a teachable moment. This is a great opportunity to have students and teachers talking about the roles of museums in their communities and repatriation of objects to Native Americans, objects that are deemed to have been stolen from one government or another, it’s all a very, very interesting conversation and I hope it drives home the importance of museums in our communities and in our nation.

Werman: Chucha Barber with the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science in Tallahassee, Florida. Thanks so much for your time.

Barber: You’re so welcome.