Cornelius Gurlitt’s Will May Be Invalid

Prior to his death, the son of art collector Hildebrand Gurlitt willed his massive art collection to a Swiss museum.  The hundreds of paintings and drawings, including Nazi-looted art once belonging to Jewish collectors, would be relocated to a legally neutral country. 

Yet when the artwork was uncovered in Gurlitt’s Munich residence and his Salzburg house in fall 2013, questions arose that renewed the debate of how Nazi-looted art should be legally dealt with. 

The Gurlitt case was resolved until a German newspaper reported Monday that Cornelius Gurlitt’s will may not be legally binding.  According to the newspaper, a psychiatric examination indicates that Gurlitt was not mentally stable enough to complete a valid will.  The physician conducting the examination reports Gurlitt allegedly suffered from “paranoia,” which voids his “freedom to decide” while creating his will. 

The Swiss museum plans to announce next week whether it will accept the inheritance of Cornelius Gurlitt, who passed away on May 6.  If the museum takes the collection, it is likely the psychiatric report may be forgotten. 

See Stefan Dege, Gurlitt’s Mental Illness Invalidates His Will, Says Report, DW, Nov. 18, 2014.