A Small Painting With a Big Story: Holocaust-Era Artwork Comes to Mia

Article by Becky Fillinger

A three-inch watercolor miniature carries an extraordinary 86-year story of loss, recovery and restitution. Stolen from a Jewish family following Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria in 1938, the 1847 portrait has finally been returned to its rightful family. The work, by Austrian artist Albert Theer, depicts Carl Graf Gleispach, an officer in the Austrian Empire’s army, and will be on view in the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s (Mia) Judaica gallery (362) through May 3, 2027.

The painting originally belonged to Eduard Epstein, a Jewish Viennese textile merchant and art collector whose property was targeted by the Nazi regime. It resurfaced in 2013 in the collection of Vienna’s Museum of Military History. Three months ago, Austrian Deputy Consul General Johannes Gassner personally returned the watercolor to Epstein’s great-niece and heir, Minnesota resident Jackie Sondell, during a ceremony in Minnesota. Three of Sondell’s grandparents were killed in the Holocaust, making the recovered painting a particularly meaningful connection to her family's history. I asked Sondell what she hopes a visitor to Mia who spends just five minutes looking at this little watercolor will take away? “I hope the small 3”x 2” painting provides an education on the extreme losses and suffering that happened in the Holocaust. Its importance isn't measured by its artistic fame – it’s not the Mona Lisa - but by its ability to connect generations and encourage people to confront and remember what happened during the Holocaust.”

Sondell has lent the miniature to Mia so visitors can learn not only about the artwork but also about the people and families behind the history of Nazi persecution and stolen art. “The restitution of the Theer watercolor cannot undo the grievous harm done to the Epstein family and so many others,” said Galina Olmsted, Mia’s Associate Curator of European Art, “but it is a meaningful acknowledgment of Austria’s historical responsibility.” The exhibition is a reminder that even the smallest objects can hold immense personal and historical significance—and that the work of restitution continues.