Art collector Cornelius Gurlitt has signed an agreement with the German authorities to allow investigators to hold on to artworks confiscated from him that could have been looted by the Nazis.
At least 593 pieces among over 1200 paintings found in Mr Gurlitt’s Munich flat will be held by a team researching whether the works were stolen from Jewish owners.
In return, paintings not under suspicion of being looted will be given back to him.
"All the works which are not subject to provenance research will be returned without delay," said his lawyer Christoph Edel in a joint statement with the Bavarian authorities and the German government.
