The Tel Aviv Museum of Art has canceled a conference it was due to host with Christie’s — after the auction house sold jewelry belonging to an Austrian billionaire with ties to the Nazi regime for millions of dollars.
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The president of the Israeli civil rights group Shurat HaDin, attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, who had first called on the museum to cancel its participation in the conference, praised the decision.
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Ruby ring belonging to Heidi Horten, whose billionaire husband profited from Jews fleeing the Nazis
(Photo: EPA/SALVATORE DI NOLFI)
“We are grateful for the decision that prevented a historical absurdity," she said in a statement. "While Christie's is working to portray itself as the 'Knight of Justice' by hosting conferences on the restitution of stolen Jewish property, it is collaborating with the biggest looters of our nation's property. It would have been outrageous for a public body in Israel to give a platform to an institute that is trying to make a fortune from the property of the Jews who were murdered or survived the Holocaust. We welcome the museum's decision to be considerate of the Holocaust survivors, who are still with us, and spared them this great embarrassment."
The jewelry auctioned off in May was owned by Heidi Horten, who died last year at the age of 81, and was married to Helmut Horten, who made a large part of his fortune by buying shops from Jews who sold their businesses under duress at discounted prices in Nazi Germany.
The standout items were a 17.4-karat gold ring, which was estimated to be sold for $720,000 and eventually sold for $2 million, and a Bulgari ring with a 6.99-carat pink diamond, which sold for $10.1 million, while the early sale estimate was $5 million.
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The controversial Christie's sale in London netted more than $200 million, an international record for jewelry auctions worldwide
(Photo: From the website of Christie's auction house)
The controversial Christie's sale in London netted more than $200 million, an international record for jewelry auctions worldwide, of which the auction house also received a high commission. Holocaust survivors also spoke against the auction house's actions, saying the company has more interest in its profits than it does in taking ethical actions for Jews who were wronged by the Nazi regime.
The museum said in a statement on Sunday that it was canceling the event due to the reaction of critics.
“The Tel Aviv Art Museum is attentive to criticism and bound by public sentiment and has decided not to host the ‘Reflecting on Restitution’ conference with Christie’s,” the statement said.