Art from the likes of Picasso, Renoir, Chagall and Matisse, along with 1,500 other pieces of artwork has been found in a flat in Munich. The works were discovered during a raid in 2011 but was kept a secret until now.

Art dealer Hildebrandt Gurlitt owned the collection when he bought the art from Jews trying to escape Germany during the war. He apparently bought the art at extremely low prices due to the owners desperation to raise money quickly. Gurlitt claimed the collection had been destroyed by bombs during the war and also apparently ordered for the paintings to be destroyed in 1945. 

Authorities raided the flat of Gurlitt's son Cornelius and found the artwork behind stacks of out-of-date food. It is believed that Cornelius was slowly selling off the paintings to fund his lifestyle. It is known that he already sold off The Lion Tamer by painter Max Beckmann (pictured above). 

He is now facing jail for tax evasion and money laundering. The authorities are trying to investigate the origins of the paintings and trace the heirs of the original owners.