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| 'Nazi art' hoarder Cornelius Gurlitt left will, lawyer confirms | 'Nazi art' hoarder Cornelius Gurlitt left will, lawyer confirms |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| German art hoarder Cornelius Gurlitt wrote a will shortly before his death on Tuesday aged 81, his lawyer says. | German art hoarder Cornelius Gurlitt wrote a will shortly before his death on Tuesday aged 81, his lawyer says. |
| He did not elaborate on the contents, but it could affect what happens to Mr Gurlitt's vast, secret collection of art, including many Nazi-looted pieces. | He did not elaborate on the contents, but it could affect what happens to Mr Gurlitt's vast, secret collection of art, including many Nazi-looted pieces. |
| Unconfirmed German media reports say he is leaving the hoard - worth up to a billion euros - to a foreign museum, possibly in Austria or Switzerland. | Unconfirmed German media reports say he is leaving the hoard - worth up to a billion euros - to a foreign museum, possibly in Austria or Switzerland. |
| Cornelius Gurlitt was the son of Adolf Hitler's art dealer. | Cornelius Gurlitt was the son of Adolf Hitler's art dealer. |
| Hildebrand Gurlitt was ordered to deal in works that had been seized from Jews, or which the Nazis considered "degenerate" and had removed from German museums. | Hildebrand Gurlitt was ordered to deal in works that had been seized from Jews, or which the Nazis considered "degenerate" and had removed from German museums. |
| The priceless collection was confiscated in 2012 by Bavarian authorities from the apartment of his son. | The priceless collection was confiscated in 2012 by Bavarian authorities from the apartment of his son. |
| After initially refusing to give up the paintings, Mr Gurlitt changed his position, agreeing to co-operate with the German authorities on establishing the paintings' provenance, and returning them if they were shown to be stolen. | After initially refusing to give up the paintings, Mr Gurlitt changed his position, agreeing to co-operate with the German authorities on establishing the paintings' provenance, and returning them if they were shown to be stolen. |
| 'Wild speculation' | 'Wild speculation' |
| Mr Gurlitt, who had no close relatives, wrote the will within the last few weeks shortly before undergoing heart surgery, according to his lawyer, Stephan Holzinger. | Mr Gurlitt, who had no close relatives, wrote the will within the last few weeks shortly before undergoing heart surgery, according to his lawyer, Stephan Holzinger. |
| "It now falls to the probate court to determine if the will is valid and whether a contract of inheritance exists," he told the BBC. | "It now falls to the probate court to determine if the will is valid and whether a contract of inheritance exists," he told the BBC. |
| "I can understand that there is now wild speculation, but I don't want to comment on that at this stage." | "I can understand that there is now wild speculation, but I don't want to comment on that at this stage." |
| The German government said earlier that the collector's death would not affect the investigation into ownerships claims on the paintings. | The German government said earlier that the collector's death would not affect the investigation into ownerships claims on the paintings. |
| David Toren, who is now nearly 90 and lives in New York, hopes Mr Gurlitt's death will speed up the restitution of a painting he says he remembers on the wall of his great uncle's house in Breslau. | |
| He has applied for the return of Two Riders by Max Liebermann. | |
| Getting one heirloom back, he says, would be "some kind of vindication; they killed my parents in a gas chamber, they threw me out of Germany, they took all of our property - not only the painting". | |
| Mr Gurlitt's collection only came to light after a routine check found he was carrying wads of cash on a train from Switzerland, triggering a tax inquiry. | Mr Gurlitt's collection only came to light after a routine check found he was carrying wads of cash on a train from Switzerland, triggering a tax inquiry. |
| Investigators found more than 1,400 works in his flat in Munich in February 2012 - though they only revealed the discovery in late 2013 - and a further 60 in his house near Salzburg, Austria, earlier this year. | Investigators found more than 1,400 works in his flat in Munich in February 2012 - though they only revealed the discovery in late 2013 - and a further 60 in his house near Salzburg, Austria, earlier this year. |
| Among them were works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Emil Nolde and Max Liebermann. | Among them were works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Emil Nolde and Max Liebermann. |
| The collection is estimated to be worth up to a billion euros (£850m; $1.35bn). | The collection is estimated to be worth up to a billion euros (£850m; $1.35bn). |
| Under German law, Cornelius Gurlitt was not compelled to return any paintings to their owners, as he was protected by a statute of limitations, which negates any claim for incidents that happened more than 30 years ago. But he agreed to help return any stolen works to their rightful owners. | |
| Mr Gurlitt's secretive nature means little is known of his private life or any possible heirs. | Mr Gurlitt's secretive nature means little is known of his private life or any possible heirs. |