A reader sent in this story from The Jewish Chronicle about the story by Claremont McKenna College student Elise Viebeck regarding CMC history professor Jonathan Petropoulos. Petropoulos is also the director of CMC's Center for the Study of Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights.
Viebeck's article appeared in the Claremont Independent student paper and explained Petropoulos' role in locating a Camille Pissarro painting that had been looted by Nazis in Austria in 1938. The rightful owner, 78-year-old Gisela Fischer, had retained London-based Art Loss Register (ALR) to locate the painting, but there were the deal went awry after a dispute over whether the arrangement was supposed to be pro bono or not.
As we've discussed before, Viebeck's real scoop was in obtaining emails between Petropoulos and a Munich art dealer Peter Griebert who was working with Petropoulos to negotiate with Frau Fischer. On the face, the emails seem to bolster Fischer's account of her discussions with Petropoulos and Griebert.
Petropoulos' ethics in the matter have come under scrutiny, and the issue prompted CMC to commission a four-month investigation. The investigation cleared Petropoulos, as a letter dated 3/7/2007 from CMC Dean of the Faculty Gregory Hess explained.
The Jewish Chronicle article quoted ALR representative Sarah Jackson, who walked a tightrope as she both defended her company and Petropoulos while also expressig some concerns about the professor's handling of the matter:
Sarah Jackson said she did not regret hiring the professor, explaining: “It was always our hope that the picture could be recovered for Mrs Fischer and it was thought Prof Petropoulos might be able to facilitate this through his relationship with Bruce Lohse, who was suspected of having a connection to the picture.”
She added: “The ALR intended to provide the professional expertise and financial cover for him, but we were sidelined in the process and so we played no part in any discussions to try and recover the picture.
“We do not believe there was any dishonesty on the part of Professor Petropoulos but he made errors of judgment... and we believe that he did not have sufficient experience to handle this matter when there was a clear attempt to provide misleading information on the painting’s ownership.”
She added: “We understand that the revelations of this case — particularly the activity of Peter Griebert, the discovery of the Schonart Trust in Lichtenstein and the role of Bruno Lohse, an unrepentant Nazi who profited for decades from the sale of Nazi looted art stolen from persecuted families — have caused great distress to Frau Fischer and her family.
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