Authentic Freud Portrait, Lost to Nazis, Re-emerges

A painting of Sigmund Freud, long believed to be a studio reproduction after its original was confiscated by the Nazis, has been definitively identified as the authentic 1936 artwork. Curators at the Sigmund Freud Museum made this significant rediscovery while preparing for an upcoming exhibition.

The breakthrough occurred with the unearthing of an unreleased photograph from Alexander Freud's apartment. This image provided a crucial visual link, showing the original portrait in a setting that directly corresponds to the painting now housed at the Jewish Museum Vienna. An appraisal by an expert from Dorotheum Vienna has strongly indicated that the two are indeed one and the same. It is believed that Alexander Freud, Sigmund's brother, originally acquired the portrait.

In light of this identification, the Jewish Museum Vienna has initiated contact with the Kinsky auction house concerning the painting's provenance. The matter is set to undergo a thorough review by the Vienna Restitution Commission, a body dedicated to addressing art claims stemming from the Nazi era. The portrait is slated to be a centerpiece of the exhibition titled "The Freud Case. Documents of Injustice," scheduled to open on October 24, 2025, at the Sigmund Freud Museum.

This exhibition promises to delve into the complex history surrounding the Freud family's experiences during the Nazi regime and the subsequent fate of their possessions. The painting itself, created by Wilhelm Victor Krausz in 1936, depicts the already world-renowned psychoanalyst. Krausz, an Austrian artist known for his portraits of prominent figures, painted this work at Freud's summer residence in Grinzing.

While Krausz produced two studio copies of the portrait, research now points to the version held by the Jewish Museum Vienna as the original. This portrait was first sold in 2006 at the Kinsky auction house in Vienna from an "Austrian private collection" to the United States. In 2019, it was again offered at the same auction house and acquired by the "Friends of the Jewish Museum Vienna" for its permanent collection. This discovery is particularly poignant given the historical context of Nazi art confiscation, often referred to as Nazi loot. Many valuable artworks were seized from Jewish owners during this period, and the process of restitution has been ongoing for decades. Austria has established commissions and legal frameworks, such as the Vienna Restitution Commission and the Federal Art Restitution Act of 1998, to address these complex cases and facilitate the return of stolen or looted art to rightful heirs.

The exhibition "The Freud Case. Documents of Injustice" will not only feature the rediscovered portrait but also explore the systematic dispossession of Sigmund Freud and his brother Alexander. Alexander Freud was forced to emigrate after 1938, fleeing via Switzerland to Great Britain, and then to Canada in 1940, where he died in 1943. A Gestapo notice from 1940 regarding the confiscation of all of Alexander Freud's furniture served as the last trace of the painting's whereabouts. It will shed light on the fate of their four sisters, who were deported and murdered by the Nazi regime. The exhibition aims to provide a comprehensive look at the injustices faced by the Freud family and the broader implications of Nazi persecution on cultural heritage.