Art left by Cornelius Gurlitt to be vetted by museum first

ENTERTAINMENT

Swiss museum to vet art left by German collector Gurlitt before accepting it

The Associated Press Published Tuesday, June 3, 2014 12:50PM EDT

Gurlitt's art to be vetted first: Swiss museum

A guard walks between the painting 'The northern part of the Gardasee' (1839) of Louis Gurlitt, left, and the painting 'A Valley near Sorrento' (1874) also of Louis Gurlitt, right, at the Museum of the Fine Arts (Museum der bildenden Kuenste) in Leipzig, Germany, Friday, March 7, 2014. (AP / Jens Meyer)

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BERLIN -- The Swiss museum designated as the sole heir of German collector Cornelius Gurlitt's trove of priceless art says it plans to vet the collection first before deciding whether to accept it.

Gurlitt died last month, two years after German authorities seized more than 1,000 artworks from his Munich apartment. Some of the items -- including works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall -- may have been looted from Jewish owners under Nazi rule.

The Kunstmuseum Bern said in a statement Tuesday it hasn't yet been able to inspect the works or received an inventory.

The museum says it has six months, starting once the will is opened, to decide whether to accept the inheritance. The Munich court handling the will didn't immediately respond to calls seeking comment.