Name: Belgians locked in dispute about looted art
Uploaded: 2025-12-22T23:41:56.514Z
Duration: 2 min 50 s
Description: A legal dispute in Belgium has put a 17th-century painting in the spotlight. The heirs of a Jewish art dealer are demanding its return. But the current owner of the painting, the city of Ghent, is rejecting their claim.

A legal dispute in Belgium has put a 17th-century painting in the spotlight. The heirs of a Jewish art dealer are demanding its return. But the current owner of the painting, the city of Ghent, is rejecting their claim.

Ghent

A 17th-century portrait by Gasper de Kruijer, currently held in a Ghent museum, is the subject of a dispute between the city and the heirs of Samuel Hartfeld, a Jewish art dealer whose collection was looted during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. The city purchased the painting after World War II, but Hartfeld's descendants argue he was never compensated for the loss.

While other European countries have established standards for the restitution of Nazi-looted art, Belgium has not yet implemented a national framework. Officials in Ghent commissioned a report claiming compensation was paid, but no proof has been provided, and the painting remains in the museum as Belgium considers creating a restitution commission.

Belgians locked in dispute about looted art

The portrait at the center of a major dispute, a battle over its rightful ownership. It's been proven that the artwork was looted during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. This is really a scandal, OK? I never had such a case in the last 20 years in my life. The painting, showing Bishop Antonius Trist, is a 17th century work by famous Flemish artist Gasper de Kruijer. Three years after the end of the Second World War, the city of Ghent purchased it. The heirs of its original owner, Samuel Hartfeld, now want it back. Officials here in Ghent recently commissioned a report. It says Samuel Hartfeld and his heirs were already compensated in the years following the war. However, the report does not provide any proof of this. They said it is obvious that the painting has been looted and that Samuel Hartfeld never received a penny for it. Samuel Hartfeld was a Jewish art dealer who ran a gallery here in Belgium. In 1914, he fled to the United States to escape Nazi persecution, like many other Jews. Hartfeld was forced to leave behind his library and 66 artworks, including the portrait of Bishop Antonius Trist. This painting was later sold by a man closely linked to the Nazi regime. Hartfeld's descendants have started to seek restitution. Our goal is not financially motivated. Any proceeds that we get from selling these restituted art go directly to charity to support Jewish causes. There was a wrong and it needs to be corrected. During the Second World War, the Nazis and their collaborators confiscated property from Jewish citizens or forced them to sell under persecution. Over 100,000 artworks remain missing to this day. Other European countries have defined standards to return artworks stolen by the Nazis. But Belgium has no such framework. Gert Zels is a journalist who investigates Nazi-looted art in Belgian collections. We're nowhere. I think we're the black sheep of Europe, I think. The Belgian museums have never done a provenance research with their collections. So this should be done in other countries. It has been done already. Belgium is now considering the creation of a national restitution commission. In the meantime, though, this painting remains in the gallery here in Ghent.

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