The painting was originally owned by François de Diesbach, head of the Swiss representation in Berlin, who acquired it in 1948. After de Diesbach's premature death in an accident in 1949, the painting remained in the embassy. As the painting had come into the care of the embassy through a tragic set of circumstances and as the search for possible rightful claimants or heirs had proved unsuccessful until 2003, the options open to the embassy were either to sell the painting or – without any profit for the federal government – to make it accessible to the general public. Based on a legal opinion recommending a long-term solution that would not benefit the federal government financially, the former ambassador Christine Schraner Burgener took the initiative in 2017 of looking into whether the painting could be donated to the Max Liebermann Society.
Prior to the donation, the ownership of the painting was established and a claim under inheritance law was ultimately rejected by the court. In addition, the provenance of the painting was checked once again to rule out that it had been stolen. The donation agreement stipulates that the painting may not be resold.
The FDFA approved the donation on behalf of the Swiss Confederation as the owner of the painting. The head of the FDFA informed the Federal Council of the loan and the donation on 14 May 2018, 3 July 2018 and 21 May 2019. The act of donation itself took place on 14 April 2019 in the Liebermann Villa in Berlin.
Address for enquiries:
FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA
