Theodor Fischer (auctioneer)
Theodor Fischer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1878 Switzerland |
| Died | 1957 |
| Occupation(s) | Art dealer, auctioneer |
| Years active | Early 20th century–1957 |
| Known for | Leading Swiss art dealer; organized 1939 Grand Hotel auction of Nazi "degenerate art"; involved in trade of looted artworks during WWII |
Theodor Fischer (1878–1957) was a Swiss art dealer and auctioneer based in Lucerne, who established a leading enterprise in the Swiss art sector following World War I. In 1939, he organized the infamous Grand Hotel auction featuring "degenerate art" seized by the Nazis. Throughout World War II, he was instrumental in the trade of artworks looted by German forces from occupied territories.
Early life
Born in 1878, Fischer began his professional journey connected to the Berlin gallery of Paul Cassirer, collaborating on a joint auction with them in 1931 after Cassirer’s passing. Subsequently, he assumed the role of director at Lucerne’s Bosshard Gallery.[1]
Between the World Wars
In 1907, Fischer established Galerie Fischer, later expanding operations to include a branch in Berlin.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
The event presented 126 artworks, including Three Red Horses by Franz Marc, Landscape of Tahiti with Three Female Tigers by Paul Gauguin, The Harlequins by Pablo Picasso, as well as self-portraits from Paula Modersohn-Becker and Vincent van Gogh. Other featured artists included Marc, Lovis Corinth, Carl Hofer, Oskar Kokoschka, Emil Nolde, Ernst Barlach, Paul Klee, and Max Beckmann.[2] Despite the Nazi regime’s contempt for these works, Fischer’s gallery promoted the sale as Gemälde und Plastiken Moderner Meister aus Deutschen Museen (Paintings and Sculptures of Modern Masters from German Museums).
Although extensively advertised with previews in Zurich and Lucerne, the auction failed to generate typical fine art enthusiasm. Some potential buyers refrained from bidding due to concerns that proceeds would benefit the Nazi government; others purchased pieces aiming to safeguard them from destruction. Significantly, Marianne Feilchenfeldt identified Oskar Kokoschka’s Cathedral of Bordeaux, which she had originally donated to Berlin’s Nationalgalerie but had since been removed.[3]
Curt Valentin, proprietor of New York’s Buchholz Gallery, acquired five artworks on behalf of Alfred H. Barr Jr., director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), who secretly financed these purchases through intermediaries. These included works stolen from German museums by artists such as André Derain, Ernst Kirchner, Paul Klee, and Henri Matisse.[4]
Fischer conducted the auction with efficiency but often expressed contempt for numerous lots. For instance, he disparaged Max Pechstein’s Man with a Pipe, belittling its artistic merit and appeared to take satisfaction in withdrawing unsold items accompanied by scornful remarks.[5] Financially, the sale underperformed, leaving twenty-eight pieces unsold.[6]
Second World War
During the Second World War, with numerous European art markets either closed or severely limited, Switzerland—neutral and sharing borders with Germany, Italy, Austria, and France—emerged as a preferred hub for art dealings, offering an alternative to traditional centers like Paris and London.
Individuals displaced by the conflict, often with assets frozen or inaccessible, urgently required liquidity. For instance, the spouse of Jewish collector Julius Freund, who had fled Germany, sold parts of his collection via Galerie Fischer to obtain necessary funds. Meanwhile, the Nazi regime engaged in selling confiscated artworks to acquire foreign currency, creating opportunities for collectors and dealers to benefit from forced sales under wartime conditions.
Already a leading figure in the Swiss art market, Fischer leveraged these circumstances effectively. In 1946, the U.S. Office of Strategic Services' Art Looting Intelligence Unit (ALIU) identified him as "the central figure in all looted art transactions in Switzerland," noting that he had received the greatest number of looted paintings traced at that time.
Methods
Fischer utilized agent Carl Bümming based in Darmstadt to liaise with Adolf Hitler's art representative Karl Haberstock, both formerly connected to the Cassirer firm. Within Switzerland, German dealer Hans Wendland played a key role in importing large volumes of looted artworks for Fischer’s resale operations. In November 1942 alone, Wendland arranged shipment of an entire railway car filled with art from Paris; further substantial consignments arrived from Italy during 1943.
Art historian Douglas Cooper observed that Wendland acted on Fischer’s behalf when negotiating with Hermann Göring’s agent Walter Hofer, with whom Fischer collaborated extensively. Their acquaintance dated back to at least 1931 when Fischer provided Wendland with financial support. Between 1940 and December 1942, trade between Fischer and Hofer amounted to Swiss Francs 1,133,930; meanwhile, transactions between Hofer and Wendland from 1940 until January 1944 totaled French Francs 7,420,000 and Swiss Francs 258,000.
Fischer also maintained strong associations with Zurich galleries Galerie Schmidlin and Galerie Neupert, both implicated in handling looted art. Reports emphasize the involvement of German refugee dealers such as Fritz Nathan, who acted as intermediaries connecting Fischer, Hofer, and industrialist Emil Georg Bührle.
Deals with Hermann Göring
Several transactions between Fischer and Hermann Göring were conducted through Göring’s agent Walter Hofer. Göring had a particular interest in German old master paintings; in February 1941, Hofer selected seven such artworks from Galerie Fischer destined for Göring’s Karinhall residence. This group included four paintings by German master Lucas Cranach the Elder—Madonna and Child in a Landscape, Crucifixion with a Knight as Donor, St. Anne and the Virgin, and Portrait of a Bearded Kurfurst—alongside a triptych by a Frankfurt artist and a circa 1500 statue of a Female Saint Holding a Ring from the Nuremberg school.
Although initially agreeing to payment in Swiss francs, Göring ultimately exchanged 25 French Impressionist works instead due to shortages of foreign currency. These paintings featured artists such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Charles Cottet, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Alfred Sisley, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh. Most pieces originated from the collections of Moïse Lévy de Benzion and Alphonse Kann, except van Gogh’s Flowers in a Vase (also known as Glass with Wild Flowers) (1890), which came from the Alfred Lindon collection.
Fischer also managed Degas’ Madame Camus at the Piano (1869), which was confiscated by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) in 1941 from the Kann collection. This painting entered Göring’s holdings before being exchanged with Gustav Rochlitz for older works; it subsequently passed through Wendland to Fischer, who sold it in 1942 to industrialist Emil Bührle. Although recovered by Kann's heirs in 1948, it was resold to Bührle in 1951.
Other ERR-confiscated artworks destined for Göring’s collection that passed through Fischer included:
Connections in South America
Among Fischer's contacts was the Catalan politician and art enthusiast Francesc Cambó, a supporter of Franco who moved to Buenos Aires early during World War II and primarily conducted business with Fischer. Additionally, Fischer was associated with Austrian art dealer Thaddeus Grauer, who relocated to Brazil in 1941, passing through Switzerland. In 1998, a collection of more than twenty-four paintings, originally stolen from European Jewish owners, was discovered in a gallery in São Paulo. These artworks were linked back to Grauer and ultimately to Fischer, featuring creations by artists such as Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet.
Post-war developments
Following the conclusion of World War II, original proprietors and their descendants pursued the restitution of stolen artworks, an effort that continues to this day. Around September 1945, art dealer Paul Rosenberg visited Switzerland in search of his missing paintings. Upon identifying several pieces within Emil Bührle's collection, Rosenberg requested their return. While Bührle declined to comply directly, he consented to return the works to Fischer—the individual from whom he had purchased them—pending reimbursement. Fischer acknowledged that he had obtained these pieces from Hofer with awareness that they were looted but stated he was unable to return them himself.
Despite opposition from the Swiss Syndicate of Art Dealers, the Swiss authorities eventually restituted some of the confiscated artworks. In the 1950s, Fischer initiated legal action against the Swiss government seeking compensation exceeding one million Swiss Francs for these returns but ultimately agreed to a settlement of 200,000 francs.
In 1974, a painting by Jacopo del Sellaio titled Madonna and Child, Saint John the Baptist and two angels, which had been looted in 1942 from Anna and Fritz Unger during Nazi occupation in France, reappeared at Galerie Fischer and subsequently became the subject of a negotiated settlement.
Demise
Theodor Fischer passed away in 1957. His enterprise was inherited by his sons Arthur (1905–1981) and Paul (1911–1976).
Notable collections handled by Theodor Fischer
Note: This enumeration excludes transactions from the Second World War period.
- The Count Harrach Collection
- The Chillingworth and Wessner Collections (1922)
- The Grossherzoglich Sächsische Arms Collection belonging to the Grand Dukes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1927)
- The Collection of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia (1928)
- The Rütschi Collection (1931)
- The estate of Dr Burger
- The Erbach Collection featuring Arms and Armour (1931)
- The Freiherr von Kleist Collection
- The Arms and Armour Collection of Duke Viktor von Ratibor
- The Armoury of the Prince of Thun (1933)
- The Arts-and-Crafts Collection assembled by Dr Kodella (1934)
- The Hunting Cabinet belonging to Reichsgraf von Kaunitz
- The Bühler Collection (1935)
- The Randolph Hearst Arms and Armour Collection (1939)
- The estate of Countess Tiele-Winkler (1951)