Tate Britain halts restitution of Constable painting

Photo by George Rex

London’s Tate Britain museum has declared that they have decided to reconsider the restitution of a John Constable painting which was stolen from a private collector during WWII.

Following their announcement last year that they planned to return the painting to its former owner, a Hungarian baron of Jewish origins, the museum has temporarily stopped the process upon receipt of further information pertaining to the artwork. It is believed that the baron had stored several artworks in a vault in Budapest to protect them from allied bombing, and that Russian soldiers looted the vault while the collector was in hiding. However, according to the 2014 report by the Spoliation Advisory Panel, the work was stolen during a Nazi raid. At present, Tate has declined to comment further on the proceedings.

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