Israeli museum finds owners of looted art

JERUSALEM — Israel's national museum says it has located the owners of an impressionist painting that was stolen by the Nazis after a photo was discovered showing the work in the original owner's home.

Israel Museum spokeswoman Dena Scher said yesterday the museum repurchased the "Garden in Wannsee" painting by German-Jewish artist Max Liebermann from the owner's heir at an undisclosed price.

The Israel Museum holds some 1,200 pieces of art identified as having been seized from Jews by the Nazis and has found the owners of more than two dozen.

The painting's original owner, Max Cassirer, was a wealthy Berlin businessman. The black and white picture of his music room shows walls covered in paintings, including Liebermann's.

Experts believe hundreds of thousands of pieces of looted art remain unclaimed.