Milton Esterow, Who Reported on Art Stolen in World War II, Dies at 97 NYT | Top Stories Jeré Longman 14 October 2025 at 05:20 At The New York Times and then ARTnews, which he bought, he brought an investigative edge to stories about artwork looted by the Germans during World War II and the Soviets afterward. © William E. Sauro/The New York TimesMilton Esterow in 1972, the year he led an investor group in buying ARTnews. He became its editor and publisher.