The heirs of a prolific Dutch art collector are demanding that one of the country's top museums return 25 paintings, including eight works by Rembrand

Heirs Claim Back Rembrandts From Top Dutch Museum

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2024-09-30 18:00:07

The heirs of a prolific Dutch art collector are demanding that one of the country's top museums return 25 paintings, including eight works by Rembrandt, because they are not on permanent display.

The heirs to the collection have served a legal summons on the Mauritshuis in The Hague to hand the paintings back, lawyer Gert-Jan van den Bergh told AFP on Friday.

Collector Abraham Bredius, a former Mauritshuis director, bequeathed the 25 paintings to the museum when he died in 1946, on the strict condition they would always be displayed to the public.

"The conditions were not met. Therefore the heirs are now demanding that the museum give the paintings back," said the lawyer.

Four works by 17th-century master Rembrandt -- including "Saul and David", painted between 1651 and 1658, and "Two African Men" from 1661 -- are currently hanging at the museum.

A fifth painting by landscape master Salomon van Ruysdael can also be viewed but the 20 other works from the collection are not on public view, the Mauritshuis confirmed.