France to return Klimt painting stolen in Nazi period to rightful owners: minister

© Reuters/Herwig PrammerA wax figure of Austrian Jugendstil artist Gustav Klimt is displayed at Madam Tussauds in Vienna

PARIS (Reuters) - France will return a painting by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt stolen during the Nazi period to its rightful owners, French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot said on Monday.

The painting, "Rosiers sous les Arbres" (Rose bushes under the trees), is currently kept in the Paris Musee d'Orsay, Bachelot said at an online news conference.

(Reporting by Geert De Clercq and Matthieu Protard; Editing by Toby Chopra)