The Australian: Looting cloud over angel from 'Nazi' dealer [December 05, 2005]

A SCULPTURE in the National Gallery of Australia that appears on a looted art risk-list passed through the hands of a German art dealer regarded as a leading trader to the Nazis. Art experts say the fact the 16th-century bronze angel was once acquired by dealer Julius Bohler is a clear warning it may have been looted from a Jewish family. The NGA has launched a fresh investigation into the angel's history, using information provided by The Australian. But mystery has deepened over the multi-million-dollar sculpture's past, with descendants of the dealer claiming his firm bought and sold it in the 1920s, before the Nazis came to power. The angel is among 86 works -- including priceless paintings by Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and Rubens -- on an NGA list of pieces with suspicious gaps in their ownership during Nazi rule. The Nazis stole vast amounts of art between 1933 and 1945. Most of it was taken from Jewish families in Europe.