Cornelius Gurlitt, 81, who hid a £1bn trove of suspected stolen Nazi art has died in his Munich flat The ownership of a £1billion hoard of masterpieces plundered by the Nazis during the Second World War has been thrown into doubt by the death of its keeper. Cornelius Gurlitt, 81, whose father Hildebrand built the  collection while working for  Hitler, died in the Munich flat where he kept the paintings. They included works by Renoir, Matisse and Picasso that were either looted or bought from Jews at knock-down prices. Mr Gurlitt, an eccentric recluse, had been selling them over the years to support himself.
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Cornelius Gurlitt, 81, died at apartment in Schawbin, spokesman said
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Had been in a nursing home following major heart operation
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1,401 paintings discovered in 2012 in his flat in upmarket part of Munich
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Works thought to be a £1billion trove of potentially stolen Nazi art
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Was elderly son of a Nazi-era art dealer who stole works during Third Reich
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It's not yet clear what will happen to the art, said Art Recovery International
Mr Gurlitt’s father was Nazi Germany’s leading expert on modern art, personally tasked by Hitler to sell paintings he despised abroad to help fund the @placeholder’s war effort.