The works will be returned to the rightful heirs of their former owners, the institution confirmed to the German Press Agency.
Two paintings by Franz Sigrist the Elder, titled Lot and His Daughters and Abraham Entertains the Three Angels, will be returned to the heirs of the Munich art dealership Brüder Lion, which was forcibly closed in 1936 under pressure from the Nazi regime.
Not All Heirs Identified Yet
The painting Saint Anne with the Virgin and Child by a pupil of Lucas Cranach the Elder will go to the descendants of Ernst Magnus. The Jewish director of the Commerz- und Disconto-Bank in Hanover, who was persecuted by the Nazis, sold the artwork to finance his family’s escape.
The painting At the Tavern Table by Ernst Karl Georg Zimmermann was also classified as looted art. However, the rightful heirs have not yet been fully identified, according to the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
Criticism of Bavaria’s Restitution Policy
The decisions are based on research conducted by the provenance research department within the newly established State Museum Agency of Bavaria. For another artwork—Friedrich von Amerling’s Young Girl with Straw Hat—the nationwide Advisory Commission on Nazi-Looted Art will be called upon to make a decision.
Bavaria has long faced criticism over its handling of looted art cases. In February 2025, media reports exposed shortcomings within the State Painting Collections, highlighting opaque and sluggish processing of suspected cases. In early April, General Director Bernhard Maaz was forced to resign, succeeded by lawyer and former Munich cultural affairs director Anton Biebl.
According to Bavaria’s Minister of the Arts, Markus Blume (CSU), the State Painting Collections have entered more than 200 works into the Lost Art Database since February. This registry allows former owners and their heirs to specifically search for confiscated artworks.
Restitution as an Important Step in Coming to Terms with the Past
Blume stated: “By returning these four works, we cannot undo the terrible injustice inflicted upon their owners. But we can attempt to provide the victims with a measure of justice and send a clear signal: We are working diligently to confront the crimes of the Nazi era—with greater speed, transparency, and results since this spring.”
Biebl added: “The restitution of these four paintings marks another important step in continuing to address the history of our collections. We take our responsibility for thorough provenance research very seriously.”
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