Jonathan Jones Worries He Shares Hitler’s Art Taste
March 31st, 2008 by Menachem Wecker
“One of my favourite paintings in the National Gallery was once owned by Hitler - is it wrong to still love it?” wonders the Guardian’s Jonathan Jones of “Cupid Complaining to Venus” by Lucas Cranach the Elder (about 1525).
Artdaily.org has the story about the National Gallery investigating whether the piece has the troubling provenance. According to the release from NG:
The National Gallery now wishes to establish how and when Cranach’s Cupid complaining to Venus came to be in Hitler’s collection. The National Gallery is continuing its investigations to find this out. Any information from the public would be gratefully received.
“When its full story is told it may even end up leaving the gallery and being resold abroad,” Jones concludes, citing Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm episode on Wagner along the way, “so I’ll enjoy it while I can.” See also the Guardian’s coverage here.