In a statement, Amsterdam municipality said that it would return the 1909 work, painting with Houses, without a new ruling by the Dutch Restitution Committee that deals with claims of looted art due to 'the long duration of the process and the importance of correcting wrongs of the past.
A court in Amsterdam last year upheld a 2018 ruling by the Restitution Committee that the artwork bought at auction in 1940 by the municipality of Amsterdam did not have to be returned to the heirs of the Lewenstein family, who owned it before brutal Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II.
The 2018 ruling showed the painting was not confiscated or stolen before it was auctioned, but also stated that the sale 'cannot be considered in isolation from the Nazi regime on the one hand, but on the other hand has to have been caused to an extent by the deteriorating financial circumstances of the original owners before Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands.
The municipality of Amsterdam announced in its statement announcing the return of the painting: 'We have a history as a city and with it comes a great responsibility for dealing with injustice and irreparable suffering suffered by Jewish population during this period.
The municipality said it has a'moral obligation to act in accordance with this obligation. The City stands for a rightful and clear restitution policy with so much looted art as possible returned to the rightful owners or the heirs of the owners.
Kandinsky said that the new Dutch guidelines for dealing with looted art would likely be ordered returned to heirs by Amsterdam.
The College of Mayor and Alderpersons has therefore started consultation with the heirs to reach a settlement agreement after which the artwork can be returned rightfully to the rightful owners, the statement said.