Cornelius Gurlitt followed in his father’s footsteps and became a high profile art collector and dealer with a career spanning decades. But, when he died, there was much controversy regarding his assortment of art due to connections with the wrongful seizure of some of his collection by the Nazi’s during the lead-up to World War II. However, the tainted pieces were eventually removed from the estate which lead many to believe the two museums who were the beneficiaries under Gurlitt’s would be free from any further controversy. But that was not to be, a cousin challenged the will on the basis of a lack of mental competence which has again cast doubt about the true ownership of the art. Currently a court date has been set for September which will hear evidence concerning the mental state of Gurlitt before he changed his will although no ruling is expected at that time.
See Catherine Hickley, Munich Upper Regional Court sets hearing date for September, leaving collection in limbo for several more months, The Art Newspaper, April 21, 2016.
