The return of a painting to its Jewish heirs could endanger Germany�s cultural heritage, a German historian said. Christoph Stolzl, former head of the German Historical Museum, has criticized the decision by the Berlin Senate to force the city�s Brucke Museum to return Ernst Ludwig Kirchner�s painting �Street Scenes� to the heirs of its former owner, Alfred Hess. The painting, returned in July, is due to go on the Christie�s auction block in New York, where it is expected to bring in more than $20 million. Stolzl, a former culture senator of Berlin, said the decision by the senate could trigger the return of up to 100 additional works �that form the cornerstone of Germany�s modern art collections� � based on what he called less-than-convincing proof of ownership.

The decision to return the painting was based in part on a 1998 agreement with the U.S. government regarding artworks confiscated by the Nazis or sold under duress due to persecution.

JTA