The reclusive German collector whose secret hoard of rare artworks triggered an international uproar – has died.

Cornelius Gurlitt had kept more than 1,000 works of art at his apartment in Munich.

Many were found to have been looted by the Nazis. The trove included works by Picasso, Matisse, and Chagall.

Some of the pieces were previously unknown and were not listed in detailed inventories of the works compiled by art scholars.

Gurlitt inherited the collection from his father, Hildebrand Gurlitt, an art dealer who traded in works confiscated by the nazis – and who died in 1956.

A spokesman says the recluse died at his apartment, where he was recovering from major heart surgery.

Cornelius Gurlitt was 81.