page_title: Kurt Walter Bachstitz
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Kurt Walter Bachstitz / General Information / World War II
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Gesigneerd en gedateerd op de steen middenvoor: Bol. fec / 1640.
context_page_description: Kurt Walter Bachstitz was a German-Austrian art dealer. He died shortly before his naturalization to the Netherlands.
context_section_description: Between the beginning of the German occupation in 1940 and 1941 Bachstitz sold a number of paintings to the "Sondernauftrag Linz" that was run by Hitler's Special Representative of the planned 'Führermuseum' in Linz, Hans Posse until his death in 1942.
  Among the works sold to the Sonderauftrag were the following:
  Ferdinand Bol "The Angel of the Lord appears unto Gideon" NK 2484
  Stephan Godl "Adam and Eve" 	NK 636-a-b
  The correspondence between Bachstitz and Posse concerning these works is preserved. Posse achieved high price reductions.
  Greek / Tanagra Figure "Standing Woman" 	NK 620; RMO, Leiden; CCP-Database
  Girolamo da Santa Croce "Saint John the Baptist" 	NK 1627
  German (Cologne) "A small altar with saints and two scenes" 	NK 2707
  German (also Alpian) "St. Mary and St. John before the Crucifixion" 	NK 1552
  Greek Snake Bracelets 	NK 864-a-b
  Greek Carnelian Engraved Gem 	2904
  Gerrit Berckheyde "Grote Markt with Cathedral St. Bavo in Haarlem"  NK 2581; CCP-Database; Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem
  Alexander Colin "Heavenly Apparition over a Town" 	NK 631
  Canaletto (copy after) "The return of the Bucintoro to the Molo on Ascension day" NK 1798
  Jan van Scorel "St. Paul" NK 2919
  Pietro Cappelli "Roman Capriccio" NK 1892
  Greek Golden bracelet with Serapis head, 1st century NK 865/CCP-Database, RMO, Leiden
  Surrounding of Giovanni di Francesco del Cervelliera Frame NK1787
  François Duquesnoy "Cupido" (attribution: Venice, 16th century) CCP-Database
  Greek "standing woman 'the night' (Nyx)"  CCP-Database;  Getty Villa Malibu
  In February 1941 Bachstitz officially resigned as supervisory director of the Bachstitz Gallery and his wife became the managing director. Together with his wife, he continued to provide a clandestine management role. In this way, they avoided having the Gallery placed under the forced administration for the duration of the war. According to the documents in the file concerning his successful application to become a Dutchman after the war the couple provided undercover protection for Jews trying to escape the authorities.
  In 1942 Bachstitz was summoned by the occupation authority (the "Wirtschaftsamt") as he had failed to register the gallery as "non-Aryan property". Proceedings were commenced against him and he was arrested by the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) in July 1943 and imprisoned in the Scheveningen prison in The Hague. Due to an intervention of Göring initiated by Bachstitz' brother-in-law Hofer, he was released from prison. He was then also exempted from wearing the Star of David. Furthermore, the couple had their marriage dissolved in September 1943 to prevent the confiscation of the gallery by the occupying authority.
  Between 1942 und 1944 Bachstitz sold a number of works to the museums that were run by Kurt Martin, the head of the Museums of the Upper Rhine (Alsace and Baden) under Robert Heinrich Wagner.
  In 1944 Bachstitz managed to obtain permission to leave the Netherlands and he emigrated to Switzerland, again with the help of Andreas Hofer.
  As a bribe for the exit visa Bachstitz had to hand over art to Hermann Göring, namely a painting with the Samson and Delilah motive by Jan Steen, as well two antique necklaces.
caption: Ferdinand Bol "The Angel of the Lord appears unto Gideon" NK 2484
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