Nazi-looted art found in German parliament

Art stolen by the Nazis has been found inside Germany’s parliament.

The discovery, made by an art historian, comes as investigations continue following a huge stash of looted art revealed last month, according to Reuters, citing the German newspaper Bild.

Last month, German authorities revealed the discovery of a collection held for decades by Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of an art dealer who was ordered by Adolf Hitler to buy so-called “degenerate art” and sell it to raise money for the Nazis.

According to Bild, one of the two works discovered in the parliament's collection had also originally belonged to the Gurlitt family, Reuters reports.

The works – an oil painting by Georg Waltenberger dated 1905 and a chalk lithograph by Lovis Corinth – could be two of hundreds of thousands of artworks from museums and individuals that the Nazis stole throughout Europe.

German authorities have been sharply criticized for keeping under wraps for two years the discovery of Gurlitt’s collection, which numbers at least 1,400 works valued at $1.38 billion, or 1 billion euros. The collection holds works by Picasso and Matisse, among others.

Gurlitt has demanded the return of his collection, which authorities seized in February 2012.

It is not evident whether both works discovered in Germany’s parliament are part of the Gurlitt collection. The probe into the government’s art collection is ongoing.

Germany has denied there is evidence linking the paintings to Gurlitt and denied the claims, according to The Local.

"It is unclear when there will be a result to the investigations," a parliament spokesman told Reuters.