Centre du droit de l'art
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr
One-Thousand-Five-Hundred-Pound, Hand-Carved Lintels Removed from Religious Temples in Thailand – United States of America and City & County of San Francisco
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/one-thousand-five-hundred-pound-hand-carved-lintels-removed-from-religious-temples-in-thailand-2013-united-states-of-america-and-city-county-of-san-francisco
In 2017, the government of Thailand formally requested that the United States restitute two ancient stone lintels of Khmer origin that had been removed from Thai temples between 1959–1968 and acquired by the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. From 2017 to 2020, the United States and Thailand negotiated with the Museum for the restitution of the lintels, but in October 2020, the United States sued the Museum in federal court to seek their forfeiture. In February 2021, the Museum and the United States settled the case for a conditional restitution of the lintels to Thailand.No publisherDeaccessionAntiquity/antiquitésSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelKingdom of ThailandConditional restitution/restitution sous conditionDue diligenceIllicit exportation/exportation illiciteJudicial claim/action en justiceDiplomatic channel/voie diplomatiquePre 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution pre 1970Negotiation/négociationUnited States/États-UnisOwnership/propriétéCity & County of San Francisco2023/10/09 11:05:00 GMT+1PageBuddhist Paintings – Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/buddhist-paintings-2013-lacma-and-jogye-order
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) bought four Buddhist paintings in 1998. These paintings were featured in frequent exhibitions of LACMA’s Korean art galleries until the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism notified LACMA that the paintings were stolen. After amicable negotiation, these paintings were returned to the Jogye Order in August 2020.No publisherDeaccessionSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelArtwork/oeuvre d’artLos Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)Due diligenceJogye Order of Korean BuddhismSpoils of war/butins de guerreProcedural issue/limites procéduralesNegotiation/négociationCultural cooperation/coopération culturelleUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionOwnership/propriétéLoan/prêt2020/12/14 17:15:00 GMT+1PageTwo Lithographs of the Glaser Collection – Glaser Heirs and Kunstmuseum Basel
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/two-lithographs-of-the-glaser-collection-2013-glaser-heirs-and-kunstmuseum-basel
In 1933, the Kunstmuseum Basel purchased about 200 drawings and prints at the Max Perl auction in Berlin. These works belonged to Curt Glaser, a Jewish art collector and director of the Art Library in Berlin. In 2004, the Glaser heirs requested the Kunstmuseum to return two artworks by Edvard Munch, but the Museum refused. Following negociations, the Kunstmuseum Basel and the heirs of Curt Glaser reached a seemingly “just and fair solution”.No publisherStatute of limitation/prescriptionOwnership/propriétéArtwork/oeuvre d’artFinancial compensation/indemnisationCanton of Basel-CityNegotiation/négociationRequest denied/rejet de la demandeNazi looted art/spoliations naziesDue diligenceMediation/médiationCurt GlaserConciliationSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelProcedural issue/limites procéduralesKunstmuseum Basel2020/10/02 09:10:00 GMT+1PageThe Actor – Leffmann Heir v. Metropolitan Museum of Art
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/the-actor-2013-leffmann-heir-v-metropolitan-museum-of-art
Before the Second World War, Paul and Alice Leffmann, a couple of German Jews, fled Germany to Italy and then to Brazil. To be able to leave Europe, they sold the painting “The Actor” by Picasso to three art dealers for a fraction of its market value. In 1939, one of the dealers sold the painting to Thelma Foy. Several years later, Thelma Foy donated the painting to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) of New York. In the 2010s, the great-grandniece of Paul and Alice Leffmanns sued the MET to retrieve the painting.No publisherRequest denied/rejet de la demandeOwnership/propriétéOngoing dispute/litige en coursMetropolitan Museum of ArtArtwork/oeuvre d’artJudicial claim/action en justicePaul and Alice LeffmannNazi looted art/spoliations naziesDue diligenceStatute of limitation/prescriptionProcedural issue/limites procéduralesJudicial decision/décision judiciaire2020/02/05 12:55:00 GMT+1PageTwo Schiele Paintings – Grunbaum Heirs v. Richard Nagy
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/two-schiele-paintings-2013-grunbaum-heirs-v-richard-nagy
In 1938, the Nazis expropriated the art collection of Fritz Grunbaum while he was detained in Dachau concentration camp. In 2016, the Grunbaum heirs filed suit against Richard Nagy, the art dealer in possession of two of the paintings by Schiele that formed part of Fritz Grunbaum’s collection (“Woman in a Black Pinafore” and “Woman Hiding Her Face”). Eventually, the New York’s Supreme Court directed Nagy to return the artworks to the Grunbaum heirs.No publisherUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionJudicial decision/décision judiciaireRichard NagyArtwork/oeuvre d’artDue diligenceJudicial claim/action en justiceProcedural issue/limites procéduralesFritz and Elizabeth GrunbaumStatute of limitation/prescriptionNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriété2019/11/29 15:30:00 GMT+1PagePortrait of Greta Moll – Moll Heirs v. National Gallery of London
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/portrait-of-greta-moll-2013-moll-heirs-v-national-gallery-of-london
The “Portrait of Greta Moll” has been subject to a claim for return. The heirs of the painting’s subject argued the painting was stolen in the aftermath of the Second World War and claimed that the National Gallery of London did not purchase the work in good faith. The case has been heard in two courts of the United States.No publisherPost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970National Gallery, LondonDeaccessionProcedural issue/limites procéduralesMargrete MollRequest denied/rejet de la demandeCriminal offence/infraction pénaleDue diligenceStatute of limitation/prescriptionOwnership/propriétéUnited Kingdom/Royaume-UniState immunity/immunité des EtatsJudicial claim/action en justiceJurisdiction/conflit de jurisdictionArtwork/oeuvre d’artConciliationNazi looted art/spoliations naziesJudicial decision/décision judiciaireThe American Friends of the National GalleryOskar Moll2019/08/12 14:20:00 GMT+1PageNedjemankh and His Gilded Coffin – Metropolitan Museum of Art and Egypt
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/nedjemankh-and-his-gilded-coffin-2013-metropolitan-museum-of-art-and-egypt
The gilded Coffin of Nedjemankh, a priest of the ram-god Heryshef, was purchased in 2017 and exhibited in 2018 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Following an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, the Met learned that the Coffin had been looted in 2011, during the Egyptian revolution. It also learned that it had received upon its purchase a false ownership history, fraudulent statements and fake documentation, including a forged 1971 Egyptian export license for the coffin. As such, the Met unconditionally returned the coffin to the Government of Egypt.No publisherDeaccessionCriminal offence/infraction pénaleEgypt/EgypteDue diligenceMetropolitan Museum of ArtPost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970Illicit exportation/exportation illiciteUnconstrained initiative/initiative spontanéeUnconditional restitution/restitution sans condition2019/06/24 14:25:00 GMT+1PageSumpflegende – Héritiers Lissitzky-Küppers et Ville de Munich
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/sumpflegende-2013-heritiers-lissitzky-kuppers-et-ville-de-munich
Après 25 ans de litige juridique et de négociation, le sort de « Sumpflegende », un tableau de Paul Klee prêté à une galerie allemande en 1926 puis confisqué par les Nazis au titre d’art « dégénéré », est scellé. En juillet 2017, les héritiers de Sophie Lissitzky-Küppers, laquelle avait prêté le tableau, concluent un accord avec la Ville de Munich et une fondation privée. L’œuvre reste exposée dans un musée munichois et les héritiers Lissitzky-Küppers sont indemnisés.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireFondation Gabriele Münter et Johannes EichnerArtwork/oeuvre d’artSymbolic gesture/geste symboliqueDue diligenceMunichJudicial claim/action en justiceFinancial compensation/indemnisationNegotiation/négociationSophie Lissitzky-KüppersStatute of limitation/prescriptionNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéSettlement agreement/accord transactionnel2018/01/08 10:35:00 GMT+1PageBuste de Diane – Pologne et Auktionshaus im Kinsky
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/buste-de-diane-2013-pologne-et-auktionshaus-im-kinsky
En juin 2015, le Ministère de la culture polonais apprend qu’un buste de Diane, spolié durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale et disparu depuis, va prochainement être vendu à Vienne par la maison de vente Auktionshaus im Kinsky. Le Ministère contacte alors la société Art Recovery International. Avec l’aide de cette dernière et de l’Ambassadeur ainsi que du Consul général de Pologne en Autriche, le buste est restitué à la Pologne le 18 décembre 2015.No publisherSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelArt Recovery InternationalAuktionshaus im KinskyAd hoc facilitator/facilitateur ad hocMediation/médiationDue diligenceUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionOwnership/propriétéArtwork/oeuvre d’artNazi looted art/spoliations naziesDiplomatic channel/voie diplomatiquePoland/Pologne2017/12/11 17:35:00 GMT+1PageVallée de la Stour – Héritiers Jaffé et La Chaux-de-Fonds
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/vallee-de-la-stour-2013-heritiers-jaffe-et-la-chaux-de-fonds
En 2006, la Ville de La Chaux-de-Fonds reçoit une demande de restitution pour le tableau « La Vallée de la Stour » de John Constable exposé au Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds. Le requérant représente les ayants droit héritiers de John et Anna Jaffé, dont les biens, y compris ce tableau, ont été spoliés par les Nazis durant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Après avoir d’abord refusé, la Ville accepte de restituer le tableau à l’automne 2017 suite à une procédure de conciliation judiciaire. Le Tableau est restitué aux héritiers le 12 mars 2018.No publisherHéritiers JunodConciliationArtwork/oeuvre d’artJohn et Anna JafféMusée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-FondsSymbolic gesture/geste symboliqueDue diligenceUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionLa Chaux-de-FondsStatute of limitation/prescriptionFinancial compensation/indemnisationNegotiation/négociationAd hoc facilitator/facilitateur ad hocNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéInalienability/inaliénabilité2017/11/21 15:25:00 GMT+1PageMasque Nalindele – Zambie et Personne privée
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/masque-nalindele-2013-zambie-et-personne-privee
En juin 1989 le Masque Nalindele est volé au Musée national de Livingston en Zambie. En 1996 un antiquaire l’acquière à Paris. Apprenant qu’il s’agit d’un objet volé, il décide de le restituer aux autorités belges que le restitueront par la suite à la Zambie.No publisherUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionPrivate person/personne privéeCriminal offence/infraction pénaleZambieDue diligenceICOMBelgium/BelgiqueIndigenous object/objet autochtoneUnconstrained initiative/initiative spontanéePost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 19702017/09/08 15:05:00 GMT+1PagePortrait of a Youth – Reichel Heirs v. Sarah Blodgett Dunbar
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/portrait-of-a-youth-2013-reichel-heirs-v-sarah-blodgett-dunbar
In the mid-2000s, Claudia Seger-Thomschitz, one of the heirs of Oskar Reichel, attempted to recover the painting “Portrait of a Youth” from Sarah Blodgett Dunbar on the grounds that it had been lost as a result of Nazi persecution. The 2010 appeal decision of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals settled the case in favour of Sarah Blodgett Dunbar.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireRequest denied/rejet de la demandeArtwork/oeuvre d’artOskar ReichelDue diligenceSarah Blodgett DunbarJudicial claim/action en justiceProcedural issue/limites procéduralesStatute of limitation/prescriptionNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriété2017/05/11 09:55:00 GMT+1Page La Bergère – Meyer Heirs and Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/la-bergere-2013-meyer-heirs-and-fred-jones-jr-museum-of-art
Raoul Meyer’s art collection, which included Camille Pissarro’s painting “La bergère rentrant des moutons”, was looted by Nazi troops during the occupation of France in early 1940s. Decades later, Meyer’s daughter and heir, Léone Meyer, discovered the painting at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma, and initiated a lawsuit in the United States seeking its return. After a three-year litigation, the two sides reached a settlement in 2016. The latter was denounced by Ms. Meyer. Eventually, the lawsuit was dropped and ownership of the painting was transferred to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelRaoul MeyerArtwork/oeuvre d’artSymbolic gesture/geste symboliqueFred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of OklahomaConditional restitution/restitution sous conditionDue diligenceJudicial claim/action en justiceDonationProcedural issue/limites procéduralesCultural cooperation/coopération culturelleNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéShared custody/co-possessionLoan/prêt2017/01/16 12:55:00 GMT+1PageDurga Idol – India and Germany
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/durga-idol-2013-india-and-germany
In the 1990s, a 10th century idol representing the Indian Goddess Durga was reported as stolen from a temple in Tengpora, Pulwana in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. The idol was found at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart in 2012. After presenting the evidence of its provenance, the idol was returned to India on “ethical grounds”.No publisherSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelOwnership/propriétéNegotiation/négociationSubhash KapoorCriminal offence/infraction pénaleDue diligenceUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionGermany/AllemagneArtwork/oeuvre d’artIndia/IndeDiplomatic channel/voie diplomatiquePost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970Illicit exportation/exportation illicite2016/10/05 11:55:00 GMT+1PageLe Grand Pont – Weinmann Heirs and Yale University Art Gallery
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/le-grand-pont-2013-weinmann-heirs-and-yale-university-art-gallery
The painting “Le Grand Pont”, by Gustave Courbet, was owned by Josephine Weinmann and her family, but after they were forced to flee Germany from Nazi persecution, the painting was purchased by Herbert Schaefer, a Nazi militant. When Schaefer later loaned the painting to the Yale University Art Gallery, Weinmann’s heirs sued for its return. No publisherOwnership/propriétéLoan/prêtArtwork/oeuvre d’artJosephine WeinmannNegotiation/négociationYale UniversityNazi looted art/spoliations naziesMax SilberbergSymbolic gesture/geste symboliqueDonationDue diligenceSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelProcedural issue/limites procédurales2015/10/27 14:45:00 GMT+1Page