Alleged paintings by Hitler seized ahead of auction

BERLIN — Police in Germany seized three alleged Adolf Hitler watercolor paintings shortly before they were due to be auctioned.

The Kloss auction house in Berlin was offering three paintings signed "A. Hitler" and dated 1910 and 1911. They show a mountain scene, a river and a distant figure sitting beneath a tree. According to local media, the three paintings were to be auctioned with a starting price of $4,500 each.

A spokesman for the auctioneer says he doesn't think the paintings have any artistic value, rather hold value because of the name on the bottom.

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Prior to World War I, Hitler made a small living as a painter in Munich by selling dozens of postcards and paintings. His earlier dreams of becoming an artist were crushed when he, twice, failed to pass the entrance exam for the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.

Hundreds of the German wartime Nazi leader's artworks are known to exist. But most of his work is held by the U.S. Army, which confiscated them after the Allies defeated Hitler's regime at the end of World War II. That collection is never exhibited.

There are also many replicas in circulation. But the three paintings in question were claimed to have been authenticated by a U.S.-based handwriting expert, Frank Garo.

Garo's certificate of authenticity notes that the autograph shows "proper letter size ... And no sign of being drawn or forced."

Police seized the paintings Thursday, shortly before the auction was scheduled to take place, after receiving an anonymous tip on Wednesday that the paintings were fake.

The works were taken on suspicions of attempted fraud and forgery of documents.

Further investigations are ongoing.

NBC