Tate has welcomed the recommendations of the UK government’s Spoliation Advisory Panel to return Aeneas and his Family Fleeing Burning Troy by Henry Gibbs to the heirs of Jewish Belgian art collector Samuel Hartveld. The decision follows the emergence of compelling new evidence about the painting’s provenance and its loss during the Nazi era.
The Spoliation Advisory Panel, established to resolve claims on cultural property misappropriated during the Nazi period, ruled that the painting should be returned to Hartveld’s heirs. Tate has pledged full cooperation in implementing the recommendation.
Tate’s Director, Maria Balshaw, expressed the institution’s unwavering support for the restitution process, stating:
“It is a profound privilege to help reunite this work with its rightful heirs, and I am delighted to see the spoliation process working successfully to make this happen. Although the artwork’s provenance was extensively investigated when it was acquired in 1994, crucial facts concerning previous ownership of the painting were not known.”
She extended gratitude to the Sonia Klein Trust and the Spoliation Advisory Panel for their collaboration and welcomed the opportunity to present the painting to Hartveld’s heirs in the coming months.
The restitution has also been hailed by Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant, who stated:
“The case of Samuel Hartveld is the perfect example of the Spoliation Advisory Panel doing the work it was designed to do—helping to reunite families with their most treasured possessions that the Nazis looted. The decision to return the painting to the heirs of Samuel Hartveld and his wife is absolutely the right one, which I welcome wholeheartedly.”
The Sonia Klein Trust, representing Hartveld’s descendants, emphasised the importance of this restitution in acknowledging the persecution their family faced during World War II. In a statement, the trustees said:
“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. We deeply appreciate the Spoliation Advisory Panel’s recommendation and Parliament’s ratification of that recommendation.”
They also extended thanks to the Tate staff for their cooperation in facilitating the restitution and recognised the efforts of historian Geert Sels, whose research helped shed light on Hartveld’s plight in Nazi-occupied Belgium.
The 17th-century oil painting by British artist Henry Gibbs was purchased by Tate from Galerie Jan de Maere, Brussels, in 1994. However, research initiated by the Sonia Klein Trust uncovered its troubled past, leading to a formal claim in May 2024.
Following extensive investigations, the Spoliation Advisory Panel found the evidence compelling enough to recommend restitution, confirming both the legal and moral case for returning the artwork to Hartveld’s heirs.
Tate will now carry out the report’s findings, marking another step towards justice for those whose cultural heritage was wrongfully taken during one of history’s darkest chapters.
