Restituted Painting on Display from 9 September 2025 in the New Collection Presentation Faces and Narratives

It is a fortunate and highly satisfying outcome for all parties involved in the restitution of the work View across the Plain (1918) by Paul Adolf Seehaus: the new owner, Cologne-based entrepreneur Alexander Schorn, is making the gouache available to the Kunstmuseum Bonn as a permanent loan. Paul Adolf Seehaus (1891–1919) was the only pupil of August Macke and one of the most important artists of the Rhenish Expressionists. View across the Plain is among the artist’s most striking landscapes, reflecting both his stylistic closeness to Macke as well as his distinct artistic signature.

Alexander Schorn:
“I am absolutely delighted that the work is now returning to the outstanding collection of Rhenish Expressionists at the Kunstmuseum Bonn, where I first encountered it more than ten years ago. As an entrepreneur whose family business has specialised in the preservation and conservation of historic monuments for more than 125 years, I also see this as a contribution to restoring historical contexts. I am grateful to the Lempertz auction house and to Mrs Isabel Apiarius-Hanstein for establishing contact with the Kunstmuseum Bonn and supporting me in the loan process.”

Prof Dr Stephan Berg, Director of the Kunstmuseum Bonn:
“The Kunstmuseum Bonn’s collection is the natural habitat for works by Seehaus, and View across the Plain is a particularly fine example of the distinctive qualities of his style. Mr Schorn’s generous gesture is a wonderful example of how the balancing act between addressing injustice caused by Nazi-persecution-related dispossession of cultural property and at the same time ensuring continued public access can be achieved. We are deeply grateful to have found, in this way, a fair and just solution for the heirs of Marie Louise Koppel-Stadler, while also being able to continue our work with the piece within our collection.”