Siegmund Levi / Jan de Beyer Hand drawing

The fact that Jan de Beyer's hand drawing was classified as a sale most likely due to persecution, even though the last proof of Levi's ownership of the hand drawing dates back almost twenty years before the actual sale, may seem surprising. Given the difficulty in finding sources, however, prima facie evidence can be invoked here. The question arises as to which sequence of events must be regarded as "typical" for the present case and whether evidence can be found that speaks against this typical sequence of events.

From everything we have been able to find out about Siegmund Levi's collection, it must be assumed that he collected art and kept it, instead of repeatedly disposing of it and changing his collection like other collectors. His collection therefore appears to have been static until it was dissolved due to persecution. It therefore seems unlikely that Jan de Beyer's hand drawing left the collection before 1937. The sheet likely remained in Levi's collection until he had to dissolve his collection due to persecution.

The Advisory Commission on Nazi-looted property will decide on a similar case in 2021: Recommendation of the Advisory Commission on Nazi-looted property in the case Heirs after Heinrich Rieger ./. City of Cologne, 8.2.2021. URL: https://www.beratende-kommission.de/de/empfehlungen