FAU’s presentation ‘The Woman in Gold’ to focus on Nazi-looted art

Laura M. Reich is an attorney and arbitrator focused on art and communications law. On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at 3 p.m., Reich will give a presentation titled “The Woman in Gold:  Separating Fact from Fiction: Issues of Nazi-Looted Art”. Reich will discuss the history of the painting “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” by Gustave Klimt (better known as “The Woman in Gold”). The program will be sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Boca Raton campus.

Linda: Explain how you separate fact from fiction regarding Nazi-looted art in your presentations?

Reich: The movie “The Woman in Gold” was wonderful, but it was a fictionalized account of the true story of Maria Altmann who fought to recover the 1904 masterpiece, “Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I” painted by Gustav Klimt which was stolen from her family by the Nazis. First off, there were two principal lawyers involved in the case – Randol Schoenberg, who was portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the movie, and also Don Burris, who worked on the case with Randy.  Don Burris was a colleague, mentor and dear friend who passed away in 2022.  Don was a born storyteller, and from him, I learned many of the “stories behind the story” of this fascinating tale. Other than having Don’s firsthand account, there really is no substitute for hard work and research!  Like any great story, the true facts tend to drift over time. Scholars and historians must engage in a deep dive into the work’s provenance and history. And while people do not often think of lawyers as storytellers or historians, we really must have those skills as well as being good investigators.

Linda: What got you interested in the subject of Nazi-looted art?

Reich: I became interested in art law, and Nazi-looted art in particular, through my relationships with two special people. The first was my law partner, Clarissa Rodriguez. We actually met in high school in Fort Lauderdale and were both on the debate travel team. We attended the University of Florida at the same time. When you work with someone you have known since you were 14 years old, you can get in sync enough to finish each other’s sentences. Most people do not get to practice law with such a dear, long-time friend and I recognize how lucky I am! Clarissa has a deep love of archeology and antiquities. Through Clarissa, I have had the privilege to view gorgeous pre-Columbian masks, ancient European statuaries and much more!  She and I added an art law practice to our law firm in 2017. Clarissa met and introduced me to the second special person – Don Burris, who was a lawyer and leading expert handling cases involving Nazi-looted art.  Don started out at Georgetown Law School, clerked for a federal judge in San Francisco, served on the Watergate committee, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he was the founder of his own law firm. In the 1990s, Don invited Randy Schoenberg to join him in forming the firm of Burris & Schoenberg. Randy knew Maria Altmann and had been hired to pursue “The Woman in Gold” matter and the rest was history. Don was speaking at an event in Miami in 2015, and he and Clarissa were immediately kindred spirits. Don took an interest in both Clarissa and me, for which I will be forever grateful. Hee shared his passion for art restitution and justice for survivors with us.

Linda: Have German art dealers and collaborators of looted art been brought to justice?

Reich: Some have, but at this point, the focus has shifted to the galleries and institutions, as well as private collections that hold the stolen art.

Linda: Are families receiving restitution for the art that was stolen from them?

Reich: It isn’t easy, but it does happen. Statutes of limitations can be a problem. Don used to say that even when there was no way to recover their property, he would talk to or meet with any Holocaust victim or family member who called him, even if all he could do was provide a listening ear for those who had been so terribly wronged. But restitution is far from impossible. Maria Altmann recovered her family’s property, which gave rise to the story told in the movie, “The Woman in Gold.”  Just this September, it was announced that seven artworks valued collectively at more than $7 million, stolen from performer and writer Fritz Grünbaum’s home by the Nazis after his 1938 arrest, would be returned to his relatives.  Grünbaum’s relative, Judge Timothy Reif, a federal judge in NYC, praised the investigators who made restitution possible, saying “Your recovery of these artworks reminds us once again that history’s largest mass murder has long concealed history’s greatest robbery.” Sometimes, as in the Grünbaum case, museums are willing to give up pieces when presented with the evidence that the art was, in fact, looted. Last June, France adopted a new law streamlining the restitution process allowing public institutions to return Nazi-looted items.

Linda: In your estimate, how many pieces of art are still missing or unclaimed?

Reich: Impossible to know for sure, but a vast amount. There are thousands and thousands of pieces still missing, some of which could have been destroyed, of course. The most reliable estimates, in my opinion, say that 20% of European art was displaced during WWII. Don said, and I believe that this is the greatest property crime in the history of mankind. He called it “the unfinished business of the 20th century.” Stealing and destroying art wasn’t an afterthought to the Nazis, of course. The idea wasn’t just to eradicate the Jews but to take away and destroy their culture. Every time art is returned to its rightful owners, they fail.

Linda: Share details of art that was discovered in caves?

Reich: The most famous story about art discovered in caves, and the one I think you are thinking of, is the story of the WWII treasures stolen by the Nazis and handled by the “Monuments Men.” Between 1943 and 1945, the extensive complex of salt mines in Altaussee, Austria served as a repository for Nazi-looted art. In April 1945, as the Allied troops approached, orders were given to blow up the salt mine, but those orders were not carried out. The Monuments Men (a/k/a the “Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives” program (MFAA) of the Allied armies) took possession of the site and began the process of restitution. For the most part, they concerned themselves with getting art back to its country of origin, not to the families who may have originally owned it. Still, their work was critical in preserving much of the cultural heritage lost or stolen during WWII.

Linda: Is looted art still hanging in European galleries?

Reich: Yes, certainly. Some looted art hangs with the gallery’s knowledge and some completely unknown.

Linda: What do you hope people take away from your presentations?

Reich: Superficially, I hope to entertain people with great stories worth telling and worth remembering! On a deeper level, however, I hope to remind people that Nazi-looted art and the restitution of such art is not just an issue of the past. It is still a real and current issue. Additionally, wherever you find tyranny in the world, art and cultural property is still being taken from its rightful owners by those with the power to do so. Thus, unfortunately, the issues surrounding looted art and its restitution are not going away anytime soon.

“The Woman in Gold: Separating Fact from Fiction: Issues of Nazi-Looted Art” will be presented Tuesday, November 14, 2023, from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Friedberg Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Building, on FAU’s Boca Raton campus. Member – $30, $100 for any combination of four events, members only, non-member – $35, one-time guest pass, member or non-member at the door – $35. For more information visit olliboca.fau.edu