'I'm hitting a wall' Heir's fight to regain Jewish collector's art stolen by the Nazis

German experts have long agreed that Michael Hulton, a San Francisco-based doctor who is the sole surviving heir to an illustrious Jewish art collector forced to flee the Nazis, has a strong case for restitution. But after years of waiting, he's running out of patience and time.

- Deborah Cole

Hulton, 78, is the great-nephew of Alfred Flechtheim, whose liking for the avant-garde and infectious enthusiasm made him a tastemaker in early 20th-century Germany.

While Hulton has appealed successfully to German institutions for the return of works in Flechtheim's collection in the past, the most valuable of the contested pieces are tied up in an increasingly baroque reform process that threatens to delay a ruling indefinitely. Critics say Hulton's long wait is symptomatic of a restitution policy mired in red tape and foot-dragging, and that changes due to be implemented next year represent verschlimmbessern: making something worse while attempting to improve it.

The pieces in question are an exquisite Picasso bronze bust and two prized paintings by Paul Klee, in the possession of the Bavarian state art holdings in Munich.

Hulton said: "Numerous museums and private collectors have recognised the sad fate of Uncle Alfred and demonstrated their clear commitment to undo the injustice our family experienced and have returned my family's stolen property. I want the Bavarian government to reverse their dishonesty to me and many other victims' families, and I want them to do this now."