Tate Britain to return painting ‘looted by Nazis’ | UK News

Tate Britain is set to return a 17th century painting to the family of a Jewish Belgian art collector.

The work by Henry Gibbs, titled Aeneas And His Family Fleeing Burning Troy, was taken from Samuel Hartveld’s home during the German occupation.

Requests for objects taken during the Nazi era to be returned from the UK’s public collections are examined by the Spoliation Advisory Panel.

The panel said the 1654 painting was “looted as an act of racial persecution”.

The UK government announced on Saturday that the heirs of Mr Hartveld will receive the work.

He left the art behind in Antwerp in May 1940 after he and his wife fled Belgium.

Despite having survived the war, Mr Hartveld was never reunited with his collection, with many of his paintings believed to be in galleries across Europe.

The claim was launched by the Sonia Klein Trust in May 2024.

The trustees of the trust, which was set up by Mr Hartveld’s heirs, said they were “deeply grateful” by the decision to return it.

“This decision clearly acknowledges the awful Nazi persecution of Samuel Hartveld and that the ‘clearly looted’ painting belonged to Mr Hartveld, a Jewish Belgian art collector and dealer,” they added.

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Director of Tate, Maria Balshaw, said that helping to return the work to its rightful heirs was a “profound privilege”.

Arts minister Sir Chris Bryant praised the panel for “helping to reunite families with their most treasured possessions that were looted by the Nazis”.