English
New research has traced a Nazi-looted painting to Dutch Jewish collector Bob Nijkerk. The artwork once hung inside Adolf Hitler’s Berlin residence. According to Het Parool, the discovery reveals another chapter of Nazi art theft.
German artist Carl Gottlieb Peschel created Joseph Sold by His Brothers in 1831. Nijkerk received the painting from his brother-in-law in 1941.
Nijkerk belonged to a wealthy Jewish family in Amsterdam. He collected rare books, typography, and paintings. However, Nazi authorities seized his family’s business during the German occupation.
In 1942, the Nazis began deporting Dutch Jews to killing centres. Museum curator Willem Sandberg initially helped Nijkerk’s family avoid deportation. Nevertheless, Nazi authorities later sent them to Westerbork and Theresienstadt. Fortunately, all five family members survived the Holocaust.
Researcher Diederik Oostdijk uncovered the painting’s connection to Nijkerk. His book Overlevingskunst explores how art collections helped three Jewish families survive Nazi persecution.
Oostdijk also discovered that the painting entered Hitler’s residence before reaching a Munich storage facility. However, its exact path remains unclear. Nijkerk may have sold it, or Nazi forces may have confiscated it.
Today, the Martin von Wagner Museum in Würzburg holds the painting. Meanwhile, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum houses three other artworks linked to Nijkerk’s collection.
His seven descendants have not filed restitution claims. Grandson Willem Nijkerk said the family would probably sell the artworks if authorities returned them. He also described the painting’s connection to Hitler as deeply disturbing.
