The Mauritshuis gallery in The Hague may lose 25 paintings loaned to it in 1946, including several Rembrandts, because of a complicated legal dispute, Trouw reported on Friday.
The relatives of the sole heir of Abraham Bredius, a collector and former museum director who gave the works to the museum, are taking the Mauritshuis to court on Friday, demanding their return.
The works include some of the museum’s most important art, including a portrait of two Black men Rembrandt met in Amsterdam and a painting of Homer, the paper said.
Bredius never married or had children, and the complainants in the case are descendants of Joseph Kroning, a Bredius “protégé” who was the only person to inherit under his will.
Bredius left the art to the museum on condition that it was always on show, but Kroning’s relatives say this is not the case. While the Rembrandts are always on view, pictures by Jan Steen and Jan van Goyen, for example, are largely kept in storage.
Their lawyer, Gert-Jan van den Bergh, told Trouw that they are not in this for the money. “The aim is that the works are put on show,” he said. “It is about respect for Bredius’ will. If the Mauritshuis won’t comply, the family will look for a place where the legacy and the conditions are respected.”
The Mauritshuis declined to comment on the situation, which has reportedly been ongoing since 2014.
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