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Swiss Museum Accepts Art Trove Amassed Under Nazis

 A Swiss museum will accept the bequest of an immense trove of art amassed by a Nazi-era art dealer, but will ensure that any looted art in the trove is returned to its rightful owner, museum officials said on Monday.

The bequest was made by the dealer’s reclusive son, Cornelius Gurlitt, just before he died in May. A cousin of Mr. Gurlitt made a last-minute attempt to block the bequest, but Christoph Schäublin, president of the museum’s board of trustees, said he did not expect that action to prevent the museum from accepting it.

Mr. Schäublin said the museum’s decision, reached on Saturday after six months of deliberation, was “anything but easy” because of the origins of the collection. But he said the institution, the Kunstmuseum Bern, would have a privately financed team of experts vet each work before the museum takes possession of it.

Read entire article at NYT