The law was initially drafted to make it obligatory for artworks over 50 years old and valued at over €150,000 to require an export certificate, however the proposition has been revised and the limit has been raised to 70 years and value to over €300,000.
A clause to the initial law also considered artworks loaned to museums as “cultural heritage” after 5 years, which therefore prevents them from being traded freely in international markets. That clause was, after revision, abandoned.
The initial draft also mentioned a free pass for authorities, enabling them to access any given collection if they feared “cultural heritage” was at risk of being traded or leaving Germany. This, one of the most controversial parts, was removed as well.
The initial law was met with vehement criticism from top German artists including Georg Baselitz who removed all his loaned works from public museums as well as Gerhard Richter who threatened to do the same if the law passed, whilst Max Beckmann’s granddaughter in an interview stated she would follow suit with her grandfather’s loaned works at German museums.
In addition, 250 galleries and collectors across Germany opened a petition in which they demanded the immediate removal of the draft from the parliament agenda. Many spoke of the proposal as the worst attack against liberal art trade in Germany.
According to many art professionals the law is the result of a fear that German culture is in imminent danger and theart market has already had brutal effects on the German artistic landscape; however many argue that there are actually more works entering Germany, through a solid museum purchase network, than leaving the country. Furthermore, the protectionist tone of the pre-revised law has caused worry about the nationalistic motives of the minister.
According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, some of the most valuable works in German museums, including works by Rubens and Titian are the fruits of a vast cultural exchange between European royal courts; passing such a law in today’s Germany contrasts the image Germany desires to convey, as Europe’s leader in liberal economy and culture.
It must be noted however that the director of London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, Martin Roth, has spoken up defending Grütters, telling German newspaper Der Spiegel: “In Germany it is too easy for dishonest or uninformed dealers, because in truth, so far nothing is regulated, anyone can sell anything."
Image: Monika Grütters, DPA - Picture Alliance l Via bild.de
