Girl in the Grass

- The story of the hunt for a lost painting by Pissarro

During the German occupation, a Jewish Dutch couple had to sell a painting to go into hiding. Their daughters were placed in a children’s home, but were rounded up in early 1944 and deported to Auschwitz, where they died. The parents survived the war and did not discover their children’s fate until 1946. The search for the painting also remained fruitless for a long time, until Origins Unknown Agency discovered that it had ended up in a German museum. The museum had previously tried unsuccessfully to trace its provenance. Thanks to the Origins Unknown Agency, the heirs of the original owner were found. The German museum and the heirs agreed that the painting, an 1882 work by Camille Pissarro, would remain at the museum. As part of the compensation, the painting will be kept on display from November 2024 to February 2025 at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Eelke Muller is a historian and literary scholar. At NIOD, she focuses on research into culture in conflict. Her expertise particularly concerns art theft, restitution and legal redress in relation to the Nazi period. Previously, Eelke conducted research for the Museumvereniging and various government committees. She has written several publications within her field. She currently contributes to research and exhibitions in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum, Mauritshuis, Jewish Cultural Quarter and the National Holocaust Museum, among others. Annelies Kool is an Advisor on Cultural Goods and World War II at The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE).