|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Edited by: Fern Sidman
David Rowland, a tenacious lawyer known for his relentless efforts in recovering looted artworks for the heirs of Jewish collectors persecuted by the Nazis, passed away on August 15 at his Manhattan residence, as was reported by the New York Times. He was 67 years old, and his death resulted from a sudden heart-related illness, according to his sister, Elizabeth Rowland Gagne.
Rowland’s legal career was marked by a series of high-profile successes in the challenging field of art restitution. Notably, in 2006, he secured the return of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s 1913 painting “Berlin Street Scene” from the Brücke Museum in Berlin, according to the NYT report. In 2020, he achieved the return of 200 prints and drawings by renowned artists like Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, and Marc Chagall from the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland, the report added. These accomplishments followed more than a decade of relentless efforts on behalf of the heirs.
The Basel restitution followed more than a decade of persistent petitioning by Rowland on behalf of the heirs.
Svetlana V. Petroff, his longtime business partner and friend, said, “The hallmark of David’s professional engagement was perseverance,” as was reported by the NYT. She added that, He persevered over time and against adversity.”
Rowland’s legal journey began when he left a New York law firm, Röhm International, in 1989 to establish his practice on Park Avenue. It was at Rohm International that he worked with Petroff whom he had met while both were attending the New York Law School. In 1990, Petroff joined Rowland to form their own firm known as Rowland & Petroff, the NYT report said.
The New York Times report indicated that in the early years, Rowland focused on real estate restitution and compensation claims for German Jews and their descendants in Eastern Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. As those claims dwindled, Rowland shifted his focus to recovering Nazi-looted art, recognizing the importance of preserving cultural heritage, the NYT report added.
Art restitution can be legally complex, often hampered by technical barriers such as statutes of limitation. According to the NYT report, Rowland entered the field just as the international community adopted the Washington Principles in 1998, which were nonbinding guidelines on returning Nazi-looted art housed in public collections. He became one of the first U.S. lawyers to specialize in this area, championing the rights of Jewish art claimants beyond his clients, according to the NYT report. He wrote articles and attended conferences to promote their cause.
Speaking to the NYT, Julius Niesert, an associate at Rowland & Petroff in Berlin said. “The wall came down just as David was opening his practice, and he recognized the opportunities.”
As the number of claims for Jewish homes and businesses in Germany began to dwindle, Rowland turned his attention to recovering Nazi-looted art, as was reported in the NYT. It is a field in which the law can fall short in achieving justice for heirs: Claimants are frequently foiled in court by technical barriers, such as statutes of limitation.
Niesert noted that, “Cases can take a very long time, and you don’t have access to regular legal tools.. You are frequently operating outside normal legal parameters in a ‘soft law’ area,” as was reported in the NYT.
One of Rowland’s earliest successes was the return of Caspar David Friedrich’s iconic 1824 painting, “The Watzmann,” to the heirs of Martin Brunn, its original owner. Rowland’s efforts compelled the Nationalgalerie in Berlin to return the artwork, which was later purchased by Ronald Lauder for $38 million at a Christie’s auction in New York in 2006, the NYT reported. It now hangs in the Neue Galerie, a Manhattan museum opened by Lauder in 2001.
One of Rowland’s most challenging cases was the recovery of the collection of Curt Glaser, a renowned Jewish museum director and art critic who sold hundreds of works before fleeing Nazi Germany in 1933. The NYT report stated that Rowland tirelessly worked for Glaser’s heirs for over two decades, successfully recovering art from private collectors and museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Kunsthaus Zurich.
Rowland’s dedication extended beyond his legal work. The NYT report indicated that he often took cases on a contingency basis, helping clients who couldn’t afford hourly fees. His clients valued his commitment, viewing him not just as a lawyer but also as a friend.
Born in New London, Connecticut, on March 21, 1956, to Barbara Ann and John Robert Rowland, David Rowland’s early years were spent in East Lyme, where he enjoyed activities like swimming, fishing, and sailboat racing in Long Island Sound, according to the NYT report. He attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, before studying law at New York Law School in 1983.
After graduating from New York Law School in 1983, he returned to Europe while studying at the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific, spending some months at the University of Salzburg and working for a law firm in Munich, the NYT reported. His fascination for the German-speaking world greatly shaped his career and took him frequently to Berlin.
In addition to his sister Elizabeth, Mr. Rowland is survived by his mother, Barbara Ann Rowland; another sister, Leslie Rowland Jacques; three nieces; and three nephews.
Not only did he help to recover art, Mr. Rowland also avidly appreciated it. He was a member of the National Arts Club in New York, and in Berlin, where he kept an apartment, he set up a gallery with his friend Frank Kutschera, an architect. They called it Galerie Rowland Kutschera, the NYT reported.
David Rowland’s legacy will endure through his relentless pursuit of justice for Holocaust survivors and their families, as well as his deep appreciation for art and culture. His contributions to the field of art restitution will continue to be remembered and celebrated.
