Swiss museum accepts looted Nazi art

A museum in Switzerland on Monday accepted a priceless art collection that may contain works looted from Jewish owners by the Nazis.

Kunstmuseum Bern's president Christoph Schaeublin told reporters in Berlin on Monday the museum would accept the collection bequeathed to it by German collector Cornelius Gurlitt, but would work to ensure that any art looted from Jewish owners was returned.

In 2012, authorities in Bavaria seized 1,280 items from Gurlitt's apartment in Munich while investigating a tax case. He died in May and designated the Kunstmuseum Bern as sole heir to his long-hidden collection that includes works by Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall.

The museum in conjunction with the German government is establishing a task force to determine which pieces from the collection may have been looted from Jewish owners. It will also try to identify the rightful owners.

Authorities said the deal reached with the museum is binding on any heirs.

Last week, Gurlitt's cousin, Uta Werner, applied for a certificate of inheritance to the court that is handling Gurlitt's estate, according to her spokesman Thomas Pfaff.

Contributing: Associated Press