jewish heirs file suite french court met ownership pissarro painting 1234771992
Seven heirs of the late department store magnate and art collector Max Julius Braunthal have filed a lawsuit in a French court, seeking to nullify the 1941 sale of Camille Pissarro's painting 'Haystacks, Morning, Eragny' (1899). They argue the sale was made under duress during the Nazi occupation of France. The painting is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which maintains Braunthal received fair market value.
The case hinges on a 2023 French law that deems all art sales by Jews during the Nazi occupation null and void, regardless of the price paid. A favorable ruling for the heirs in France would not force the Met to return the painting directly but would provide significant evidence for a potential subsequent case in a U.S. court. This lawsuit represents a significant test of the new French restitution law and its potential to impact works held in foreign institutions.