COLUMBUS – A painting stolen by the Nazis during World War II has been recovered in Columbus and returned to the Polish government.
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“Portrait of a Young Man” by Krzysztof Lubieniecki (above) had been purchased by unknown buyers who were unaware the painting had been stolen, according to the FBI. The painting was returned to representatives of the Polish Ministry of Cultural and National Heritage during a brief ceremony in the bureau’s Columbus office.
“We are honored to return this painting to the Polish government and the National Museum,” Special Agent in Charge Angela Byers said. “This was truly a cooperative effort among the U.S. government and our international partners to ensure this work of art was returned to its homeland.”
The bureau did not identify the Columbus buyers of the painting.
The work of art was believed looted by Nazi soldiers from the National Museum in Warsaw in October 1944.
From there, the Nazis reportedly took the artwork to a palace in Austria, where an American serviceman later discovered it and brought it to the United States.
Years after the former serviceman’s death, the painting was sold to “innocent purchasers” in central Ohio, the FBI said.
A relative of the former serviceman conducting family genealogy research came across photos of the painting and discovered it had been stolen. The family who possessed the painting agreed to return it Poland.