As expected, the press conference today in Berlin held by the Kunstmuseum Bern along with German officials announced that the museum has decided to accept the appointment as Cornelius Gurlitt's heir. As we surmised, the decision was accompanied by an agreement concerning the Nazi-looting suspicions that have followed the one time collection of his father Hildebrand Gurlitt. Hildebrand was one of a select few art dealers authorized during the Nazi regime to sell what the authorities deemed "degenerate art" (see link above for more background).
The lead point of the agreement between the museum and Germany as reported in Der Spiegel was that art still under suspicion would remain in Germany while the Task Force completes its work. The rest, seemingly, will go to Switzerland
None of this resolves the challenge filed Friday to the will itself; without that document the museum has no role to play at all. Indeed, with the collection divided into these categories, one can reasonably expect the heirs to pursue the "non looted" portion vigorously
More analysis to follow. One also hopes that the agreement itself will be made publicly available.
