--- description: The son of a Nazi-era art collector died amid an international dispute over ownership of the priceless works title: Cornelius Gurlitt, Hoarder of Nazi-Era Art, Dies at 81 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd17c24392b4b1ee0/69868e1af983e7091e04dadb/450364357.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Cornelius Gurlitt, Son of Nazi-Era Art Hoarder, Dies at 81  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 6, 2014 3:32 PM CUT  A name-plate on the door of the house of Cornelius Gurlitt which stands in the well-to-do Aigen district on November 18, 2013 in Salzburg, Austria. A name-plate on the door of the house of Cornelius Gurlitt which stands in the well-to-do Aigen district on November 18, 2013 in Salzburg, Austria.Joerg Koch—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 6, 2014 3:32 PM CUT Cornelius Gurlitt, son of a Nazi-era art collector who [amassed](http://world.time.com/2013/11/17/german-says-nazi-looted-art-is-love-of-his-life/ "undefined") a stunning collection of modernist masterpieces, died on Tuesday at age 81, the New York _Times_ [reports](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/arts/design/cornelius-gurlitt-son-of-nazi-era-art-dealer-has-died.html?hp "undefined"). Gurlitt died in his Munich apartment, according to his spokesman, who did not provide further details on the cause of his death. Gurlitt underwent surgery for heart problems last year. Gurlitt’s collection of some 1,280 artworks were seized by German police last year during a tax evasion investigation. The collection includes priceless paintings and sketches by Picasso, Matisse and Chagall. Much of it was classified as “degenerate” art by the Nazis. \[[_New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/arts/design/cornelius-gurlitt-son-of-nazi-era-art-dealer-has-died.html?hp "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/89370/cornelius-gurlitt-hoarder-nazi-art-dies/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/89370/cornelius-gurlitt-hoarder-nazi-art-dies/"},"headline":"Cornelius Gurlitt, Son of Nazi-Era Art Hoarder, Dies at 81","datePublished":"2014-05-06T15:32:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:40:47.416Z","description":"The son of a Nazi-era art collector died amid an international dispute over ownership of the priceless works","url":"https://time.com/89370/cornelius-gurlitt-hoarder-nazi-art-dies/","keywords":["Art","Germany","Nazi"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd17c24392b4b1ee0/69868e1af983e7091e04dadb/450364357.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd17c24392b4b1ee0/69868e1af983e7091e04dadb/450364357.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The House Of Art Collector Cornelius Gurlitt In Salzburg","caption":"The House Of Art Collector Cornelius Gurlitt In Salzburg","creditText":"Joerg Koch—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/89370/cornelius-gurlitt-hoarder-nazi-art-dies/","name":"Cornelius Gurlitt, Son of Nazi-Era Art Hoarder, Dies at 81"}}]}] ```