Franz Kieslinger
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Franz Kieslinger (16 November 1891, Vienna – 18 January 1955) was an Austrian art historian and art dealer, who was a Nazi and involved in
art theft Art theft, sometimes called art napping, is the stealing of paintings, sculptures, or other forms of visual art from galleries, museums or other public and private locations. Stolen art is often resold or used by criminals as collateral to ...
during the
Nazi era Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
.


Life

Kieslinger was born on 16 November 1891 in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, the a son of the Ministerialrat Ing. Franz Kieslinger. He studied art history at the University of Vienna from 1911 to 1914 under Josef Strzygowski and Max Dvořák. From 1913 to 1915 he was an associate member of the Institute for Austrian Historical Research. He was then a soldier in World War I and was severely wounded as a first lieutenant in the Piave battles. He was awarded a doctorate in the history of stained glass in 1919 and as an art expert for the Vienna Dorotheum.  inventoried, among other things, the art collection of Fritz Grünbaum. He published his dissertation as a book and wrote catalog texts for exhibitions and for auction


Nazi-era (1933 to 1945)

After the annexation of Austria by Hitler's
Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
on 12 March 1938, Jews were removed from the art trade and their businesses transferred to non-Jews. Kieslinger joined the
Nazi party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
on 1 May 1938 (membership number 7.683.103). In September 1938, Kieslinger became the managing director of the Aryanized art dealership S. Kende. The previous Jewish owners, Herbert Alexander Kende (1908-1977) and Melanie Kende (born 1872), the youngest child and the widow, respectively, of
Samuel Kende Samuel Kende (8 April 1858 – 13 September 1928) was an Austrian art dealer, antiquarian and auctioneer whose auction house, S. Kende, in Vienna, was "Aryanization, Aryanized" after the Anschluss, Nazi annexation of Austria. Life and family ...
, were replaced, as dictated by Nazi policy, by a non-Jewish owner, Munich art dealer
Adolf Weinmüller Adolf Weinmüller (born 5 May 1886 in Faistenhaar; died 25 March 1958) was a German art dealer and Nazi party member who trafficked in looted art and Aryanization, Aryanized the Samuel Kende, S. Kende auction house as well as Helbing. The catalogs ...
, for whom Kieslinger then worked. After Nazis deported the Jewish collector
Fritz Grünbaum Franz Friedrich "Fritz" Grünbaum (7 April 1880 – 14 January 1941) was an History of the Jews in Austria, Austrian Jewish cabaret artist, operetta and Schlager music, popular song writer, actor, and master of ceremonies whose art collection wa ...
to
Dachau Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...
in May 1938, Kieslinger inventoried Grünbaum's art collection in July 1938, including 81 works by
Egon Schiele Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele (; 12 June 1890 – 31 October 1918) was an Austrian Expressionist painters, painter. His work is noted for its intensity and its raw sexuality, and for the many self-portraits the artist produced, including nude sel ...
, many of which would be the subject of restitution claims after the war. In the spring of 1940, Kieslinger followed Nazi SS Colonel
Kajetan Mühlmann Kajetan "Kai" Mühlmann (26 June 1898 – 2 August 1958) was an Austrian art historian who was an officer in the SS and played a major role in the expropriation of art by the Nazis, particularly in Poland and the Netherlands. He worked with Arth ...
, for whom he had already worked in Vienna and who had in the meantime organized the art theft in occupied Poland, to the occupied Netherlands. He worked for Mühlmann's Nazi looting organisation, "Dienststelle Mühlmann," and was appointed by the Reich Commissar for the Netherlands,
Arthur Seyß-Inquart Arthur Seyss-Inquart (; ; 22 July 1892 16 October 1946) was an Austrian Nazi politician who served as Chancellor of Austria in 1938 for two days before the ''Anschluss''. His positions in Nazi Germany included deputy governor to Hans Frank in t ...
, as the "collective administrator" for the art objects confiscated from "enemy property" which generally meant from Jews. Kieslinger inventoried the Fritz Mannheimer art collection which the Dienststelle Mühlmann sold to the highest Nazi officials, the German auction houses Lange and Weinmüller and the Viennese auction house, the
Dorotheum The Dorotheum () is one of the world's oldest auction houses and is the largest auction house of art items in Continental Europe. Established by Emperor Joseph I in 1707, it has its headquarters in Vienna on the Dorotheergasse and branches in ...
. The Mannheimer collection would also be the object of research and restitution claims after the war.


Postwar

The Office of Strategic Services Art Looting Investigation Unit placed Kieslinger on their Red Flag List of Names, describing him as a "With Plietzsch, chief professional member of the Dienststelle Muehlmann; chiefly active in Holland, also occasionally in France and Italy. Catalogued the Mannheimer Collection. Believed to have been interrogated by the Dutch services." Kieslinger's fate after the defeat of the Nazis is unclear. Little is known about his denazification. He continued to work as a court-certified art expert and art dealer, advising, among others, art collector
Rudolf Leopold Rudolf Leopold (March 1, 1925 – June 29, 2010) was an Austrian art collector whose collection, comprising more than 5,000 works of art, was established as a private foundation in 1994. The foundation was created and financed by the Government of ...
.


Restitution cases

Several artworks that passed through Kieslinger have been the objects of claims for restitution from Jewish families. Research into his involvement in looting Jewish collection during the Nazi era is ongoing. His younger brother, Alois, was a geologist. Alois compiled his brother's list of publications.


Writings (selection)

* ''Glasmalerei in Österreich, ein Abriß ihrer Geschichte'', Wien: Hölzel, 1922 * ''Die mittelalterliche Plastik in Österreich. Ein Umriß ihrer Geschichte'', Wien: Österr. Bundesverlag f. Unterr., Wiss. u. Kunst, 1926 * ''Gotische Glasmalerei in Österreich bis 1450'', Wien: Amalthea-Verlag, 1928 * ''Der plastische Schmuck des Westportales bei den Minoriten in Wien'', Wien: Selbstverl., 1928 * ''Mittelalterliche Skulpturen einer Wiener Sammlung'', Wien: Gerlach & Wiedling, 1937 * ''Freiwillige Versteigerung einer vornehmen Wohnungsrichtung (Möbel, Gemälde, Porzellan, Silber, Teppiche usw.) am 7. u. 8. Nov. 1940 ... im Haus Rennweg Nr 3 ... Katalog Nr 12 / . Kieslinger', Wien: Wiener Kunstversteigerungshaus A. Weinmüller 194
dnb
* ''Unser Dom. Bemerkungen über sein mittelalterl. Werden u. seine Schöpfer. Zum österr. Katholikentag 1952. '', Wien: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei, 1952 * ''Unbekanntes am bekanntesten Orte: Deutung des einzig erhaltenen Lunetten-Mosaiks an der Front des Markusdomes über der Porta Alipio'', Wien: Gerold & Co., 1954


Literature

* Alois Kieslinger: ''Veröffentlichungen von Franz Kieslinger (1891–1955)''. Wien I, Schönlaterngasse 5: Dr. A. Kieslinger, 1955 * Alexandra Caruso: ''Raub in geordneten Verhältnissen'', in: Gabriele Anderl / Alexandra Caruso (Hrsg.), ''NS-Kunstraub in Österreich und die Folgen'', StudienVerlag, Innsbruck – Wien – Bozen 2005, S. 90 ff. * Meike Hopp: ''Kunsthandel im Nationalsozialismus: Adolf Weinmüller in München und Wien.'' Böhlau, Köln/Weimar/Wien 2012, zugleich Dissertation an der Universität München 2011, ISBN 978-3-412-20807-3, S. 241–250; S. 272–293


Links

* * Gabriele Anderl
''„… ein schwerreicher Kunsthändler aus München“: Die „Arisierung“ des Kunstantiquariats und Auktionshauses S. Kende in Wien durch Adolph Weinmüller''
aus: David. Jüdische Kulturzeitschrift, Juni 2006
The Kieslinger Inventory


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kieslinger, Franz 1891 births 1955 deaths People from Vienna Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Austrian art historians Austrian Nazis Nazi Party members Art theft and looting during World War II