Swiss museum, German officials to announce decision on future of collector Gurlitt’s art trove

BERLIN – A Swiss museum and German officials plan to announce Monday what will happen to a priceless collection of long-hidden art bequeathed to the museum by German collector Cornelius Gurlitt.

Bavarian authorities in 2012 seized 1,280 items from Gurlitt’s apartment in Munich while investigating a tax case. Gurlitt later reached a deal with the German government to check whether any of the works were looted from Jewish owners by the Nazis. Authorities say that deal is binding on any heirs.

Gurlitt died in May and designated Switzerland’s Kunstmuseum Bern as the sole heir to his collection, setting off a six-month deadline for the museum to decide whether to accept the bequest.

The museum, Germany’s culture minister and Bavaria’s justice minister will hold a news conference on the topic Monday in Berlin.