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Max Fischer (art collector)

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Max Fischer
Born1893 (1893)
Died1954 (1955)
NationalityGerman
Occupation(s)Historian, art collector
Known forart collection, restitutions
Notable workBrücke, Erich Heckel, Ernst Kirchner, Blauer Reiter

Max Fischer (1893–1954) was a German art collector and historian.

Life and work

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Fischer was born in 1893 and grew up in Frankfurt since 1899. His parents Ludwig[1] (1860-1922) and Rosy Fischer[2] (1869-1926) had built up a large collection of German Expressionist paintings since 1905. After the death of their parents, Max and his brother Ernst (1896-1981) inherited the collection of over 500 paintings[3] in equal parts. With a doctorate in history, he worked as a journalist and foreign correspondent for various newspapers and magazines as well as for radio.

Art collection, Nazi persecution and restitution

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With the rise of Nazi persecution, Max Fischer fled Germany in 1935, leaving part of his art collection behind.[4] When Max Fischer died in 1954, his brother Ernst joined his already initiated compensation proceedings as the sole heir.[5]

The state of Baden-Württemberg decided unanimously on December 10, 2020 to recommend the restitution of the painting "Geschwister" by Erich Heckel to Fischer's heirs.[6]

“Sand Hills (Bei Gruenau),” by Ernst Kirchner, which Fischer had owned since 1926, entered the collection of Kurt Feldhäusser, a Nazi in 1938 in unclear circumstances before entering the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A settlement concerning the restitution was reached between Fischer and the MoMa in 2015.[7][8][9]

Literature

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  • Frederick R. Brandt, German Expressionist Art: The Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection
  • Frederick Brandt, German Expressionist Art. Selections from the Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1987

References

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  1. ^ "MET Museum". Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  2. ^ "The Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection".
  3. ^ "The Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection of German Expressionist Art". 20 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Beratende Kommission - Beratenden Kommission - Pressemitteilungen - Neue Empfehlung der Beratenden Kommission". www.beratende-kommission.de. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Beratenden Kommission" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  6. ^ "German panel urges restitution of a Heckel painting to the heirs of a Jewish journalist persecuted by the Nazis". www.theartnewspaper.com. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  7. ^ "MoMA Restitutes Ernst Kirchner's 'Sand Hills' To Max Fischer Heirs". Antiques And The Arts Weekly. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  8. ^ "MoMA Restitutes Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Artwork". artnet News. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  9. ^ Crow, Kelly (17 November 2015). "Museum of Modern Art Returns Painting to Heirs of Man Who Fled Nazis". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
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