Van Dyck restituted
January 30 2017
Picture: Dr Oetker
What appears to be one of Van Dyck's best '2nd Antwerp' period portraits (that is, painted between 1627-32) has been restituted to the heirs of the Jewish art dealer, Jacques Goudstikker. The portrait, of Adriaen Moens, had been seized at one point by Göring. Later, it ended up in the collection of the food conglomerate, Dr Oetker, who have recently begun a full audit of their art collection and found a number of works that were looted by the Nazis.
The pattern with previous Goudstikker restitutions has been that the pictures end up back on the market relatively quickly. I would expect this to carry an auction estimate of at least £2m-£3m, and probably much more. Although much will depend on the condition.
