Daisy Hellmann

Daisy Hellmann (1890-1977) was a Viennese art patron and collector persecuted by the Nazis because of her Jewish ancestry.

Early life

Daisy Hellmann (née Steiner b. in Vienna April 22, 1890 - 5 January 5, 1977), was a member of one of the most important families of art patrons in Vienna in the first quarter of the 20th century.[1] Her father was Wilhelm Steiner and her mother Eugenie (Jenny) Steiner (Pulitzer). In her book, Was Einmal War, Sophie Lillie describes the lives of the "assimilated, haut bourgeois Jewry of Austria between the wars , people who without exception were talented, successful members of the community". One of the individuals she describes is Daisy Hellmann.[2]

Daisy married Wilhelm (Willy) Hellmann of Vienna, a textile magnate. The Hellmanns lived at No. 17 Rathausstraße in Vienna’s first district, one of Oskar Strnad’s interior design projects.[3]

Many of their parlor furnishings were designed by the co-founder of the Vienna Workshop, Austrian artist Koloman Moser a "ground breaking graphic designer, ceramicist, silver, jewellery, fashion and not least furniture designer".[4]

Art collector, Nazi persecution and emigration

The artist Egon Schiele was a personal friend of the Hellmanns, who purchased one of his paintings, "Landscape at Krumau" from him soon after it was painted. The work hung in the Hellmann’s apartment until October 1938 when it was seized by the Nazis and put up for sale in Vienna in 1942.The artwork was then acquired by Wolfgang Gurlitt who sold it to the Neue Galerie in Linz in January 1953 where it remained for decades.[5] Other Schieles in their collection included Kleinkind (Baby)[6]

Fleeing the Nazis, Daisy Hellmann arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1940.

Her mother, Jenny Steiner, owner of a silk factory and a prominent art collector, also fled Vienna, leaving behind her own collection of Schieles including Houses by the Sea (1914) which entered the Leopold collection in 1955.[7] Steiner died in New York in 1958.

Claims for Restitution

In late 2002, after years of wrangling, the City of Linz decided to return the painting 'Krumau, 1916'  by Egon Schiele to the heirs of Daisy Hellmann.[8][9][10][11] The fate of the rest of the collection is not known.

The Leopold Museum settled a restitution claim with Jenny Steiner's heirs, including Daisy's daughter, in 2012.[7][12]

The German Lost Art Foundation lists 29 search requests for artworks formerly in the Wilhelm and Daisy Hellmann collection, meaning that the family is trying to find them.[13]

See also

References
  1. Lillie, Sophie 1970- (2003). Was einmal war Handbuch der enteigneten Kunstsammlungen Wiens. ISBN 978-3-7076-0049-0. OCLC 231981591.
  2. "A portrait, person by person, item by item, of a society wiped out". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2004-07-01. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  3. "A chest of drawers, designed by Oskar Strnad before 1914, - Design 2017/11/02 - Estimate: EUR 3,000 to EUR 5,000 - Dorotheum". www.dorotheum.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  4. "10 Viennese Modernism gems for art fans". A Luxury Travel Blog. 2018-02-02. Archived from the original on 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2021-10-18. Apart from co-founding the Vienna Workshop, Austrian artist Koloman Moser was a ground breaking graphic designer, ceramicist, silver, jewellery, fashion and not least furniture designer. This bench and chairs, mirror and display cabinet in lacquered acorn wood were created for the parlour furnishings of the Hellmann family.
  5. Artdaily. "Sotheby's to Sell Restituted Masterpiece by Egon Schiele". artdaily.cc. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  6. "EGON SCHIELE | KLEINKIND (BABY)". Sothebys. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12.
  7. Cohan, William D. (2012-09-06). "Charting a New Course". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  8. "Cases: Krumau, 1916 or 'Städtchen am Fluß' by Egon Schiele: Restitution decision by the City of Linz December 2002". www.lootedart.com. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  9. "Austrian City to Return Looted Art". www.lootedart.com. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  10. "Painting stolen by Nazis may rise £7m for its owners". www.lootedart.com. The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  11. "Heir to Jewish refugees given US court backing to reclaim masterpiece". www.lootedart.com. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  12. "Vienna museum settles in looted painting case". Reuters. 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  13. "Lost Art Internet Database - Search". www.lostart.de. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
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