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Mar 30, 2025 03:37 PM IST
A 17th-century painting looted by the Nazis during World War II and displayed at London’s Tate Gallery for over 30 years will soon be returned.
A centuries-old painting that was seized from a Belgian art collector during World War II is finally set to be returned to his heirs after spending more than three decades on display at London’s Tate Gallery, reported the New York Post. The long-overdue restitution marks another step in the global effort to return Nazi-looted artwork to its rightful owners.
The 1654 oil painting, Aeneas and His Family Fleeing Burning Troy by Henry Gibbs, was taken from the collection of Samuel Hartveld by the Nazis as “an act of racial persecution,” according to the United Kingdom’s Spoliation Advisory Panel. The panel, which works to identify and facilitate the return of stolen artwork, confirmed that the painting will soon be reunited with Hartveld’s descendants, bringing a long-awaited resolution to a decades-old injustice.
A lost legacy
The artwork, inspired by Virgil’s Aeneid, is believed by art historians to be Gibbs’ reflection on the English Civil War. The painting had been in the Tate’s possession since 1994, after it was acquired from a Brussels gallery.
Samuel Hartveld, a respected art dealer, fled Belgium with his wife in 1940 when Nazi forces invaded. Though he survived the war, he never recovered his stolen collection. His home and paintings were reportedly sold by the Nazis for a meager price.
It is suspected that much of Hartveld’s looted art remains in museums across Europe. His heirs initiated their claim for the painting in 2024, leading to the decision to return it in the coming months.
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