Hubertus Czernin
Encyclopedia
Hubertus Czernin (17 January 1956 - 10 June 2006) was an Austria
n investigative journalist.
Born in Vienna
to Felix Theobald Paul Anton Maria Czernin von und zu Chudenitz (1902–1968) and his wife Franziska née von Mayer-Gunthof (1926–1987), he helped expose the Nazi past of former United Nations Secretary-General
and Austrian President Kurt Waldheim
.
, eventually becoming its editor.
Czernin's investigation of Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer revealed that he had had sex with over 2,000 young men, starting in the 1950s and ending in the 1990s.
Czernin was the first journalist to gain access to records at the Austrian Gallery in Vienna and, in 1998, published a series of articles about the ownership of five famous paintings from artist Gustav Klimt, proving that claims by Austria they had been donated to the gallery by Ferdinand or Adele Bloch-Bauer were false. The articles led to the passage of Austria's Art Restitution Law, which allowed the family of Maria Altmann
, the niece of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, to pursue claims successfully to the Klimt paintings that had been looted from her uncle during World War II
(see Republic of Austria v. Altmann
). A United States Supreme Court ruling allowed Altmann to sue the Austrian government for ownership of the multimillion dollar Klimt paintings. Hundreds of families had looted art
restored to them, or restitution made, under the new law.
stated "Hubertus Czernin was a hero to me. He committed his life to exposing unspoken truths about Austria and its Nazi past."
He died in Vienna of mastocytosis
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n investigative journalist.
Born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to Felix Theobald Paul Anton Maria Czernin von und zu Chudenitz (1902–1968) and his wife Franziska née von Mayer-Gunthof (1926–1987), he helped expose the Nazi past of former United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations Secretary-General
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
and Austrian President Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
.
Career
He wrote initially for the news weekly Wochenpresse. In 1984 he was hired by the Viennese magazine ProfilProfil (magazine)
profil is an Austrian news magazine. It was founded in 1970 by Oscar Bronner, who also founded the magazine Trend and the daily newspaper Der Standard....
, eventually becoming its editor.
Czernin's investigation of Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer revealed that he had had sex with over 2,000 young men, starting in the 1950s and ending in the 1990s.
Czernin was the first journalist to gain access to records at the Austrian Gallery in Vienna and, in 1998, published a series of articles about the ownership of five famous paintings from artist Gustav Klimt, proving that claims by Austria they had been donated to the gallery by Ferdinand or Adele Bloch-Bauer were false. The articles led to the passage of Austria's Art Restitution Law, which allowed the family of Maria Altmann
Maria Altmann
Maria Altmann was a Jewish refugee from Nazi Austria, noted for her ultimately successful legal campaign to reclaim five family-owned paintings by the artist Gustav Klimt, stolen by the Nazis during World War II, from the Government of Austria.She was born Maria Victoria Bloch, in Vienna...
, the niece of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, to pursue claims successfully to the Klimt paintings that had been looted from her uncle during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(see Republic of Austria v. Altmann
Republic of Austria v. Altmann
Republic of Austria v. Altmann, 541 U.S. 677 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act applies retroactively...
). A United States Supreme Court ruling allowed Altmann to sue the Austrian government for ownership of the multimillion dollar Klimt paintings. Hundreds of families had looted art
Looted art
Looted art has been a consequence of looting during war, natural disaster and riot for centuries. Looting of art, archaeology and other cultural property may be an opportunistic criminal act, or may be a more organized case of unlawful or unethical pillage by the victor of a conflict."Looted art"...
restored to them, or restitution made, under the new law.
Views on Czernin
Altmann's attorney E. Randol SchoenbergE. Randol Schoenberg
E. Randol Schoenberg is a U.S. attorney, based in Los Angeles, California. He is the grandson of the Austrian composers Arnold Schoenberg and Eric Zeisl....
stated "Hubertus Czernin was a hero to me. He committed his life to exposing unspoken truths about Austria and its Nazi past."
Personal life
Czernin was married twice, first to Cristina Teresa Szapáry de Muraszombath Széchysziget et Szapár in 1979, ending in divorce in 1981. By his second marriage, to Valerie von Baratta-Dragona, in 1984, he became the father of three daughters.He died in Vienna of mastocytosis
Mastocytosis
Mastocytosis is a group of rare disorders of both children and adults caused by the presence of too many mast cells and CD34+ mast cell precursors in a person's body.- Classification :Mastocytosis can occur in a variety of forms:...
.
Works
- Hubertus Czernin. Die Fälschung: Der Fall Bloch-Bauer und das Werk Gustav Klimts. Czernin Verlag, Vienna 2006. ISBN 3-7076-0000-9