@font-face {
font-family: “Cambria”;
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }(JTA) — A Nazi-looted painting depicting Jewish life in the Warsaw Ghetto was returned to Poland.
"Jewish Woman Selling Oranges," a 19th-century oil-on-canvas work, was one of several by the Polish artist Aleksandr Giermyski depicting Jewish life in the ghetto.
The Polish Cultural Ministry unveiled the painting July 27 following its sale to Poland two weeks earlier.
The painting, which was believed to have been stolen from the National Museum in Warsaw in 1944 near the end of the Nazi occupation, was discovered in a small auction last November in Buxtehude, Germany. It was withdrawn from sale after Polish authorities intervened. The authorities then negotiated with the painting’s owner, a German citizen, for its sale to Poland.
In the painting, a woman in a red shawl is carrying two baskets filled with oranges against a foggy Warsaw skyline.
Giermyski, an early Polish Impressionist and a national hero in Poland, appears on the side of some two zloty coins.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
