one member of my family ever had
paintings while interviewing John
anything to do with the Nazis,"
Korbel at his home.
Harmer insists, [but] "the climate in
The paintings, said to be hanging in
Prague at the time was so anti-
Korbel's living room, are by 17th-cen-
German that my family had no option
tury Dutch artists Ludolf Backhuysen
but to leave."
and Hendrik Van Steenwyck.
Before leaving, however, they took
Korbel is said to have told Dobbs that
the precaution of moving their collec-
his sister, Kathy, had another painting
tion of paintings to another apartment
that formerly belonged to their father,
where Harmer's great-aunt, a Swiss
but he insisted that Albright herself had
national, was living.
none at her home in Washington.
When the Korbels returned to
Korbel rejected suggestions that the
Prague, they took up residence in the
paintings had been looted, insisting
Harmer family's vacated apartment,
that his father would have paid for
where Josef Korbel immediately
them or would have been given them
noticed patches on the wall where the
by the Czech government.
paintings had hung.
Harmer, however, has a different
According to Harmer, he "demand-
version.
ed that the housekeepers tell him
where they were. He then went
round to my great-aunt's flat and
removed them."
These allegations are supported
by a letter written to Albright by
Harmer's 89-year-old great-grand-
mother, Ruth Harmer-Nebrich.
"Your father did not care," she
wrote. "He threatened my sister in
a very nasty way and, as she was a
rather weak and sick person, she
did not resist, and so the paintings
had to be brought back to the
place where he had moved in."
When Korbel was posted to
the Czech Embassy in Belgrade,
the letter continues, "Mr. Korbel
took every single item with him.
"He also took valuable silver
and bed linen that Jewish families
had asked us to keep for them
during the Nazi occupation."
While in Belgrade, Korbel
decided to move to the United
Madeleine Albright: Allegations have been
States with his family. Harmer
made that her father looted artwork from
believes Korbel sold some of the
an Austrian family in Prague.
paintings, but he is convinced
that several artworks are in the
homes of Albright's younger brother,
"Josef Korbel just told my great-
John Korbel, in Arlington, Va., and
aunt, 'These are hard times,' when he
her sister, Kathy.
took away the family paintings.
Harmer's initially cordial correspon-
It was understandable, consider-
dence with the family, however, met
ing what the Nazis did to his family,"
with a rebuff from John Korbel's lawyer.
said Harmer, "but it was not neces-
"Given the lack of evidence of own-
sarily right."
ership by Mrs. Nebrich of the items in
Despite the brushoffs he has
question and the strong evidence they
received so far from lawyers represent-
were expropriated by the Czech author-
ing Albright's family, Harmer is deter-
ities, we can only conclude that your
mined to press his family's claims and
family does not have any claim against
has set a May 15 deadline for restitu-
our clients," wrote Michael Jaffe.
tion to be made.
Harmer, however, contends that the
"We are assuming that the Albrights
Czech authorities have no evidence
are honest people," he added, "and
that the paintings were confiscated.
that they will want to clear up this
Moreover, American journalist
matter as soon as possible."
Michael Dobbs, whose biography of
— Douglas Davis
Albright will be published later this
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
month, says he identified two of the

Philip
Smith

May 15 — June 12, 1999

Opening Reception
to meet the artist
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from 2-4 pm

This exhibition is dedicated with friendship and appreciation to Florence and

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David Klein Gallery

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HOURS: MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 1 1 - 5:30

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5/14
1999

Detroit Jewish News

93