Max Stern (1904–1987) was a German-born art collector, dealer and philanthropist of Jewish heritage who fled Nazi persecution. He emigrated to London and then Canada. In Germany, Stern owned the prestigious Galerie Stern in Düsseldorf. In 1937 he was forced by the Nazi Government to close his gallery. After many of the gallery's work were sold at auction or confiscated by the Nazis, he fled Germany to London where he was initially interned as an

enemy alien In customary international law, an enemy alien is any alien native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secur ...

for two years before being allowed to emigrate to Canada where he established

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

's Dominion Gallery (in French, ''Galerie Dominion'') and promoted young Canadian artists.

Life before WWII

Max Stern was born in München-Gladbach (today's spelling: Mönchengladbach),

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, in April 1904. His father, Julius Stern, was a German-born Jew who worked in the textile industry, before becoming an art collector and dealer in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

. Stern studied in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

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. ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, earning his doctorate from the

University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...

in 1928 before entering the art business. On the death of his father, in 1934, Max became the new gallery owner.

Nazi-era

When the Nazis came into power in 1933, Stern was persecuted as a Jew. As

anti-Jewish laws Anti-Jewish laws have been a common occurrence throughout the history of antisemitism and Jewish history. Examples of such laws include special Jewish quotas, Jewish taxes and Jewish "disabilities". During the 1930s and early 1940s, some law ...

deprived him of rights, Stern prepared for exile, managing to open a gallery in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1935. Under the Nazi's, The Reich Chamber of Fine Arts withdrew

professional accreditation Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply ''certification'' or ''qualification'', is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications ...

, and Stern was given four weeks to either sell or dissolve all holdings within the Galerie Stern. His gallery was

Aryanized Aryanization () was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. It entailed the tra ...

, that is transferred to non-Jewish ownership in 1937 Stern was forced to

auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...

off a large segment of the Stern Gallery by order of the

Nazi government The government of Nazi Germany was a totalitarian dictatorship governed by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party according to the . Nazi Germany was established in January 1933 with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, followed ...

. These artworks were sold in Kunsthaus Lempertz. They went on the block by their lot number, Auktion 392. Not all pieces were sold, and Stern placed those that remained in storage with shipping agent Josef Roggendorf. Roggendorf held the artwork close to the Düsseldorf gallery until it was all confiscated by the National Socialist government. Stern then spent several years trying to track down the 28 confiscated paintings. He placed an ad in the German art magazine ''Die Weltkunst'', offering a reward for information on the paintings' locations. Recovering the paintings proved to be extremely difficult. ''Musical Party'' by

Dirck Hals Dirck Hals (19 March 1591 – 17 May 1656), born at Haarlem, was a Dutch Golden Age painter of merry company scenes, festivals and ballroom scenes. He played a role in the development of these types of genre painting. He was somewhat influenced ...

and ''Landscape with Figures'' by

Salomon van Ruysdael Salomon van Ruysdael (c. 1602, Naarden – buried 3 November 1670, Haarlem) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. He was the uncle of Jacob van Ruisdael.

were eventually recovered with help from the

Canadian government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ( ...

after the war had ended. ''Last Judgment'' in the style of

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...

was returned in 1954. Other works were not found. One of the paintings from the Stern collection,

Jan Wellens de Cock Jan Wellens de Cock or Jan de Cock (c. 1460/1480 – in or before 1521) was a Flemish painting, Flemish painter, Woodblock printing, woodblock artist and drawing, draftsman of the Northern Renaissance active in Antwerp.Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...

, the property of Heinz Kisters, Esq. and others.”

Post-war

Stern fled Germany in December 1937, reportedly carrying nothing but a small suitcase. He hoped to join his sister at the gallery in London but after the war began was interred by the British as an

in a

refugee camp A refugee camp is a temporary Human settlement, settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for in ...

on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

for two years. The British government then allowed him to

immigrate Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short-t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Stern sailed on the Polish liner ''Sobieski'', but was unable to get his money and belongings out of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. He then spent two years in

internment camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. He was given

refugee status A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

upon his arrival. He took steps to be exempted from this status and made contact with the man who ran the Canadian Refugee Organization, William Birks, who immediately vouched for Stern. Because of Stern's academic background and art dealing experience, he was named director of the Dominion Gallery of Fine Art. In January 1947, Stern and his wife became the sole proprietors of Gallery Dominion. He met his wife, a Swedish woman named Iris Westerberg, at the Canadian Refugee organization. Together, they made the gallery a focal point for the distribution of living art by Canadian artists. Both were known for promoting young and unknown Canadian art talents. 1944 was an especially important year for Stern's promotion of

Canadian art Canadian art refers to the visual arts, visual (including painting, photography, and printmaking) as well as plastic arts (such as sculpture) originating from the geographical area of contemporary Canada. Art in Canada is marked by thousands of ...

. During this year, he held separate exhibitions featuring art by four members of the

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an Intergovernmentalism, intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non- ...

and

Emily Carr Emily Carr (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945) was a Canadian artist who was inspired by the monumental art and villages of the First Nations and the landscapes of British Columbia. She also was a vivid writer and chronicler of life in her sur ...

. Stern made many important contributions towards Canadian art culture. In the 1940s he provided a means for young Canadian artists to paint on a full-time basis by establishing a contract system. In this system, monthly payments are made to the artist in exchange for an agreed number of works. This method has since been used successfully in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 1950, Stern moved the Dominion Gallery to a three-story building in a different area of Montreal. This new building allowed for 14 exhibition rooms and an apartment on the upper level where Stern and his wife would live. Jesus Carles de Vilallonga, a catalan born artist and, later, canadian citizen, was a frequent exibitor in this gallery. Jesús Carles de Vilallonga

Legacy and restitution claims

Upon leaving

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, Stern raised the level of art appreciation in Canada. He began donating to Canadian institutions in the mid-1950s and gave generously to several

museums A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...

across Canada. He was especially generous to

institutions, donating over 166 works. Stern died on a business trip in

in 1987. Honors he received included an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

in 1985. The gallery continued to operate for more than a decade after Stern's death, closing in December 2000. The Max Stern Art Restitution Project was jointly created by the

Hebrew University in Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

and the Holocaust Claims Processing Office in New York. The project's initiative has been to locate and recover works from the original Stern collection that were lost during the 1930s. The collection held an estimated 400 pieces in total. In 2016, the Max Stern Restitution Project recovered two Dutch Old Masters paintings – ''Ships in Distress on a Stormy Sea'' by Jan Porcellis and ''Landscape with Goats'' by Willem Buytewech the Younger. In 2017, a scheduled exhibition in Düsseldorf about Stern and the Restitution Project was abruptly cancelled due to local opposition, leading to intense controversy. In 2018, Düsseldorf's Hargesheimer Auction House restituted ''Storm at Sea'', by Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek (1778–1851) to representatives of the Max and Iris Stern Foundation and its three university beneficiaries — Concordia University and McGill University in Montreal and Hebrew University, Jerusalem. It was the 18th painting recovered on behalf of the Foundation. In 2019 the Lempertz auction house settled a claim related to the 1937 forced sale of ''Happy Family in Garden'' by Otto Heichert (1868–1946).

Selected donated art pieces

* Painting: ''Pensive girl''. Artist: Prudence Heward. Donated to: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. * Painting: ''The Flayed Woman''. Artist: Paul-Emile Borduas. Donated to: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. * Painting: ''Little Girl in Blue''. Artist: Jori Smith. Donated to: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. * Painting: ''Woman on a Sofa''. Artist:

Kees van Dongen Cornelis Theodorus Maria "Kees" van Dongen (26 January 1877 – 28 May 1968) was a Dutch-French painter who was one of the leading Fauves. Van Dongen's early work was influenced by the Hague School and symbolism and it evolved gradually into a ...

. Donated to: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. * Painting: ''Community House (Ucluelet)''. Artist:

. Donated to: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

References

External links

Max Stern Art Restitution Project

Vineberg v. Bissonnette - 548 F.3d 50 (1st Cir. 2008)

at the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

, Ottawa, Ontario
Dominion Gallery fonds
at the

, Ottawa, Ontario
West's Galleries Limited fonds
at the

, Ottawa, Ontario {{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Max 1904 births 1987 deaths Art and cultural repatriation after World War II Canadian art dealers Jewish art collectors Jewish Canadian artists Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Canada German art dealers People interned in the Isle of Man during World War II Subjects of Nazi art appropriations