11 STOLEN PAINTINGS RETURNED TO PIRMASENS MUSEUM

IN A CEREMONY AT THE GOETHE INSTITUTE IN NEW YORK, US IMMIGRATION (INS) AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT (ICE) DISPLAYED SOME OF THE 11 OIL PAINTINGS THAT WERE TAKEN BY A US SERVICEMAN FROM THE PIRMASENS AIR RAID SHELTER AFTER THE ALLIED INVASION OF GERMANY IN 1945. THE PAINTINGS ARE NOW ON THEIR WAY BACK HOME TO PIRMASENS MUSEUM IN GERMANY. ICE SPECIAL AGENT JAMES T HAYES JR THANKED THE GRAND-NIECE OF THE US SERVICEMAN, BETH ANN MCFADDEN, WHO ON INHERITING THE COLLECTION SOUGHT TO FIND OUT HOW HER GREAT-UNCLE HAD ACQUIRED THEM. SHE AND A FRIEND DISCOVERED THAT THE PAINTINGS WERE AMONG 40 IN THE PIRMASEN MUNICIPAL MUSEUM'S COLLECTION THAT WERE MISSING FROM A STORAGE AREA UNDER THE LOCAL SCHOOL BUILDING AFTER WORLD WAR II. THREE OF THE PAINTINGS ARE WORKS BY HEINRICH BUERKEL, A GERMAN PAINTER WHO WAS BORN IN PIRMASENS. 'HERD OF CATTLE', 'FROM THE COUNTRYSIDE' AND AN UNTITLED THIRD PAINTING ARE ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH $50,000. IN ADDITION, SEVEN OIL PORTRAITS BY LESSER-KNOWN ARTISTS DEPICTING THE CHILDREN OF LUDWIG IX ARE VALUED AT $4,000 EACH. AN ALOIS BROCH IS ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH APPROXIMATELY $10,000. ALTHOUGH THE CITY OF PIRMASENS WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED IN AIR ATTACKS BY ALLIED FORCES ON MILITARY MANUFACTURING IN THE CITY, THE SCHOOLHOUSE, WHICH DOUBLED AS AN AIR RAID SHELTER, WAS LEFT STANDING. UNFORTUNATELY, ACCORDING TO MUSEUM OFFICIALS, EXTENSIVE LOOTING HAD RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF APPROXIMATELY 40 WORKS, 18 BY BUERKEL. MCFADDEN, THE GRAND-NIECE OF FORMER ARMY SARGENT HARRY GURSKY, CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE PAINTINGS' PROVENANCE AND DISCOVERED THE CONNECTION TO PRIMASENS. GURSKY, WHO DIED IN 1988, WAS STATIONED IN PRIMASENS AFTER THE INVASION. MCFADDEN CONTACTED GERMAN AUTHORITIES WHO INFORMED HER THAT ICE HAD AN OPEN INVESTIGATION. ON 2.FEBRUARY.2010, MCFADDEN SURRENDERED THE PAINTINGS TO ICE WHO WITH THE US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, FORMALLY SEIZED THEM. THE ICE AGENT CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE INTERVIEWS OF MCFADDEN AND OTHERS WHO KNEW GURSKY. THE STORIES WERE CONSISTENT WITH MCFADDEN'S BELIEF THAT MOST OF THE PAINTINGS WERE HIDDEN IN HER GREAT-UNCLE'S BASEMENT SINCE HE BROUGHT THEM BACK FROM GERMANY. SHE HAD ALSO INSISTED THAT A NEIGHBOR OF THE GURSKY'S MIGHT HAVE RECEIVED SOME PAINTINGS. THE ENSUING ICE INVESTIGATION CONFIRMED THAT GURSKY'S WIFE HAD GIVEN A FAMILY FRIEND SEVERAL PAINTINGS. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE FRIEND HAD ATTEMPTED TO SELL HER PAINTINGS AT SOTHEBY'S AUCTION HOUSE AND SOLD THREE THROUGH A PENNSYLVANIA AUCTION HOUSE. INVESTIGATION INTO THE SALE OF THOSE PAINTINGS IN ONGOING. ICE, THE LARGEST INVESTIGATIVE AGENCY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, HANDLES INVESTIGATIONS INTO CULTURAL PROPERTY AND STOLEN ART AND ANTIQUITIES THAT SHOW UP ON THE WORLD MARKET. ICE'S CULTURAL PROPERTY ART AND ANTIQUITIES UNIT HAS RETURNED MORE THAN 2,100 ITEMS TO MORE THAN 15 COUNTRIES SINCE 2003.