Hearst Castle Will Return Paintings Seized by Nazis

Descendants of Holocaust victim to reclaim Renaissance artworks
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 9, 2009 7:27 AM CDT
Hearst Castle Will Return Paintings Seized by Nazis
This portrait of Venetian nobleman Alvise Vendramin attributed to the school of Tintoretto is being returned to the Oppenheimer family.   (AP Photo/Hearst Castle/ California State Parks)

Two Renaissance paintings confiscated by the Nazis will be returned to the descendants of their Jewish owners after decades hanging in California's Hearst Castle, the Los Angeles Times  reports. Relatives of the Oppenheimers, art dealers whose possessions were sold at a forced auction, are traveling from all over the world to see the artworks returned. A third painting will remain in the castle, and guides will explain its dark history during tours.

"This is an opportunity to right a wrong," said the director of the California state parks. "It also gives us a chance to tell the story over and over, so we don't forget our history. Every time someone tours the castle, they'll be learning about this."
(More William Randolph Hearst stories.)

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