“Germany Rejects Call for End to Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art” raises the issue of Holocaust-era art restitution. The upcoming “Holocaust Era Assets Conference” in Prague on June 26-30 2009, will of course also deal with the very same thing.
New York’s Museum of Modern Art meanwhile, filed a complaint along with The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum over other Holocaust-era artwork, in Schoeps v. The Museum of Modern Art, et. al., Index No. 1-07-CV-11074. In Schoeps, the museums asserted their complaint for declaratory relief against the heir of the original owner of the two Picassos, “Boy Leading a Horse” & “Le Moulin de la Galette”. Based on the complaint, this particular heir had no valid claim to the Picassos, which the museums respectively possessed. This was allegedly true because a February 8, 1935 German will mentioned that the Picassos’ original owner had given the PIcassos as a wedding gift to his wife in 1927.
Mr. Schoeps contrarily asserted via his amended counterclaim attached hereto at part 1, part 2 & part 3, that the original Jewish owner had never actually made a 1927 gift of the Picassos. The amended counterclaim alleged that the Nazi-era provenance of the Picassos was highly suspect. As an heir of the Picasso’s original owner, Mr. Schoeps argued that he was entitled to restitution of the Picassos. As a museum press release and Bloomberg.com however mentioned, the case was settled and Mr. Schoeps agreed to permit the two museums to keep the Picassos.
(Last edited October 21, 2010)
Copyright 2009-2010 Fred L. Abrams