Brighton painting by Constable may have been looted by Nazis

A John Constable painting depicting a boat being beached in Brighton may have been looted by the Nazis during the Second World War.

A government advisory panel is looking into whether the Tate should give up the work – Beaching A Boat, Brighton – according to a report in the Mail on Sunday newspaper.

The report said that the painting, believed to be worth about £1 million, was owned by a French collector in 1908.

The newspaper said: ” It’s whereabouts during the German invasion of France in the war is unknown.”

But in the 1960s, according to the report, it turned up in a Cotswolds gallery and was bought by a British woman who gave it to the Tate.

The newspaper quoted the Tate as saying: “The Spoliation Advisory Panel is currently considering a claim for the return of a painting.

“It will publish it’s findings in the next few weeks.”

Constable visited Brighton and Hove a number of times from 1824-28.