A painting stolen by an American soldier in World War II is returned to Germany

• A stolen painting has been returned to Germany after being missing for more than 78 years.
• The FBI recovered the painting after a company asked for their help in recovering it from a Chicago resident.
• Someone had previously tried to sell the painting at the Chicago Art Market in 2011.

A stolen painting belonging to Germany returned home on an unusual journey on Thursday after being missing for more than 78 years, according to the Huffington Post. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI returned the painting to a representative of the Alte Pinakothek Museum at the German Consulate in Chicago. The artwork was first reported as stolen From the collection of Bavarian state paintings in Munich in 1945.

It turned out to be “Landscape of an Italian Figure” — a painting by Vienna-born artist Johann Franz Nepomuk Lotterer, according to the FBI. The painting was created in the early 18th century, making it now over 300 years old. According to Al-Fan newspaper. The value of the artwork has not been publicly assessed by experts.

Italy-based Art Recovery International helped recover the piece after a Chicago resident informed the company that their uncle owned a stolen painting, company founder Christopher Marinello told Insider. The resident’s uncle, who has since died, acquired the artwork after serving in World War II, Marinello said.

The person, who was not identified in the reports, informed Marinello in December 2022, according to Al Fann newspaper. Marinello confirmed to Insider that the person asked his company for a “finder’s fee” for the artwork.

“We do not pay owners of stolen art to do the right thing, especially given the circumstances surrounding how this artwork came into the family’s possession,” Marinello said. He then recruited the FBI’s art crimes team to help recover the painting.

Marinello told Insider that someone — believed to be the same person who tipped him off about the stolen painting — had previously tried to sell it at the Chicago Art Market in 2011.

“When he learned it was stolen property, he pulled over and disappeared,” Marinello said. Insiders were unable to independently verify this information.

Marinello told Insider that the Alte Pinakothek and researchers at Art Recovery International verified the painting as the original artwork by Lauter in 2022. It will be displayed at the Alte Pinakothek alongside another painting by Lauter that features similar motifs of the Italian countryside. The museum said in a press release.

This is not the first time that a painting stolen from American soldiers who served in World War II has been recovered. In 2015, the FBI recovered Three works of art were stolen by American soldiers from a German museum in Dessaua city in central Germany.

The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.