The couple who amassed the Hunt Museum collection in Limerick had business connections with art dealers linked to the main art agents for Hitler and Goering, it was claimed yesterday.
The claims of links with the agents Karl Haberstock and Walter Hofer were made by Ms Erin Gibbons, a Dublin-based museum consultant and archaeologist. She said she had uncovered evidence of the connection while researching a book about the late John Hunt and his late wife, Gertrude.
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Paris claims that some of the items in its multi-million-euro collection may have been looted by the Nazis. These allegations will be discussed this morning at a meeting of the museum board. The meeting follows a request to the board to examine the matter by the Minister for Arts, Mr O'Donoghue.
The board's chairman, Mr George Stacpoole, and the Hunts' children, Mr John Hunt jnr and Ms Trudi Hunt, have denied any link with the Nazis.
Ms Gibbons acknowledged yesterday that she had had contacts with the Wiesenthal Centre, which raised concerns about the collection in a letter last month to the President, Mrs McAleese.
The centre said yesterday it had additional information to that collected by Ms Gibbons.
The Hunt Museum's director, Ms Virginia Teehon, declined last night to comment on the suggestions of a link between the Hunts and Haberstock and Hofer. She also declined to comment on a fax from Dr Shimon Samuels, of the Wiesenthal Centre, in which he sought immediate access to the museum's archive.
Ms Gibbons said she had no evidence to suggest that any of the items in the museum were looted.
However, she had uncovered "definite" links between the Hunts' business associates and Haberstock and Hofer. Karl Haberstock was a Berlin art dealer who purchased and sold artwork for Hitler. Walter Hofer was art agent for Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe air force.
Ms Gibbons said: "In relation to the present argument, I have made a definite link between the Hunts and two art dealers who are named on Nazi Holocaust files in America."
She said she would be happy to co-operate in full with any independent inquiry into the collection."My belief at this point is that they were part of a network of Nazi war loot dealers. I have to do further research to discover the level at which they were operating," she said.
"I had no idea when I started my research that the Hunts were operating at such a senior level. Discovering the link with Nazi war loot has caused me great concern, and I have decided to go public and speak about it because I have a moral imperative to do so at this point."
The Heritage Council has decided not to suspend the Museum of the Year Award currently held by the Hunt Museum. A spokeswoman said the council did not possess any evidence to substantiate the Nazi allegations.
