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+1PageDeux tableaux de Toulouse-Lautrec – Koerfer c. Goldschmidt
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/deux-tableaux-de-toulouse-lautrec-2013-koerfer-c-goldschmidt-1
En 1940, Jakob Goldschmidt, banquier juif et grand collectionneur d’art se voit retirer la nationalité allemande par le régime nazi qui s’approprie, par la suite, son patrimoine. Deux de ses tableaux du peintre Toulouse-Lautrec sont alors vendus aux enchères publiques et acquises par Jakob Koerfer qui en fait cadeau à sa femme, résidant en Suisse. Au décès de cette dernière, les tableaux sont dévolus aux enfants du couple. En 1956, Alfred Erwin Goldschmidt ouvre contre Jakob Koerfer et ses enfants une action en restitution des tableaux litigieux. Sa demande est rejetée en dernière instance par le Tribunal fédéral selon lequel les héritiers Koerfer sont, d’après le droit suisse, valablement devenus propriétaires des tableaux litigieux.
No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireRequest denied/rejet de la demandeArtwork/oeuvre d’artSwitzerland/SuisseGermany/AllemagneJakob KoerferJudicial claim/action en justiceProcedural issue/limites procéduralesJakob GoldschmidChoice of law/droit applicableNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriété2022/01/25 19:30:59 GMT+1PageTrente-sept tableaux spoliés par le régime nazi – Paul Rosenberg c. Théodore Fischer et consorts
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/trente-sept-tableaux-spolies-par-le-regime-nazi-2013-paul-rosenberg-c-theodore-fischer-et-consorts
En 1946, Paul Rosenberg, célèbre marchand d’art français et israélite, ouvre une action en restitution de trente-sept tableaux de maître dont il a été spolié en France, durant l’occupation allemande, par le régime nazi, et qui se sont retrouvés en Suisse à la fin de la guerre. L’action est portée devant la Chambre des actions en revendication de biens spoliés, chambre spéciale et extraordinaire du Tribunal fédéral (TF). En 1948, le TF admet le recours et condamne les défendeurs à restituer les tableaux litigieux à P. Rosenberg.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireArtwork/oeuvre d’artState responsibility/responsabilité internationale des EtatsExpropriationSwitzerland/SuisseGermany/AllemagneJudicial claim/action en justiceThéodore Fisher et consortsUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéPaul Rosenberg2022/01/25 16:55:00 GMT+1PageCase Cranach Diptych – Goudstikker Heirs and Norton Simon Museum
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/case-cranach-diptych-2013-goudstikker-heirs-and-norton-simon-museum-1
The Cranach diptych “Adam and Eve” was presumably part of Jacques Goudstikker’s collection looted by the Nazis during the Second World War. For several years, Goudstikker’s sole heir, Marei von Saher, and the Norton Simon Museum in California have led unsuccessful negotiations regarding the heir’s restitution claim. Notwithstanding the support received by the State of California and by several organizations, Marei von Saher’s claims in replevin were dismissed by both the District Court for the Central District of California and by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Supreme Court of the United States denied the heir’s petition for writ of certiorari.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireRequest denied/rejet de la demandeArtwork/oeuvre d’artNorton Simon FoundationAct of StateJudicial claim/action en justiceStatute of limitation/prescriptionNegotiation/négociationNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéJacques Goudstikker2021/08/17 10:20:00 GMT+1PageGuelph Treasure – Alan Philipp, Gerald G. Stiebel and Jed R. Leiber v. Germany and Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/case-guelph-treasure-2013-alan-philipp-gerald-g-stiebel-and-jed-r-leiber-v-germany-and-prussian-cultural-heritage-foundation-1
A collection of medieval ecclesiastical art is claimed by the heirs of three Jewish dealers, who allege that the collection was sold under duress during the Nazi era. After an unsuccessful conciliation in front of Germany’s Advisory Commission, the claim is being litigated before the courts of the United States. On 3 February 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favour of Germany on the interpretation of the expropriation exception in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireOngoing dispute/litige en coursGermany/AllemagneConciliationArtwork/oeuvre d’artState immunity/immunité des EtatsExpropriationInstitutional facilitator/facilitateur institutionnelGerald G. StiebelJudicial claim/action en justiceAlan PhilippJed R. LeiberJurisdiction/conflit de jurisdictionState responsibility/responsabilité internationale des EtatsPrussian Cultural Heritage FoundationNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéNegotiation/négociation2021/06/28 10:20:00 GMT+1PagePortrait d’Isabelle d’Este – Cecchini c. Italie
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/portrait-d2019isabelle-d2019este-2013-cecchini-c-italie
Dans le cadre d’une procédure pénale, le procureur du Tribunal de Pesaro (Italie) a adressé à la Suisse une demande d’entraide judiciaire portant sur un tableau attribué à Leonardo da Vinci qui aurait été transféré d’Italie en Suisse, par sa propriétaire, sans l’autorisation des autorités italiennes. Après avoir fait séquestrer le tableau, le Ministère public du Tessin ordonne la remise de ce dernier à l’Italie. La propriétaire de l’œuvre recourt contre cette décision jusqu’au Tribunal fédéral, qui casse la décision précédente.No publisherRequest denied/rejet de la demandeIllicit exportation/exportation illiciteJudicial decision/décision judiciaireArtwork/oeuvre d’artJudicial claim/action en justiceCriminal offence/infraction pénaleCecchiniIllicit importation/importation illiciteItaly/ItalieSwitzerland/SuissePost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 19702020/02/24 16:30:00 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+1PageAncient Coins – Ancient Coin Collectors Guild v. United States
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/case-ancient-coins-2013-ancient-coin-collectors-guild-v-united-states
In an attempt to challenge import regulations in force in the United States (US), the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG) imported into the US 23 ancient coins, which were seized by customs officials. The case was litigated from 2007 to 2019, with courts consistently deciding in favour of the US Government and the import restrictions remaining in place.No publisherRequest denied/rejet de la demandeIllicit exportation/exportation illiciteJudicial decision/décision judiciaireJudicial claim/action en justiceUnited States/États-UnisArchaeological object/objet archéologiqueIllicit importation/importation illiciteAncient Coin Collectors GuildIllicit excavation/fouille illiciteProcedural issue/limites procéduralesPost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 19702019/10/14 09:40:00 GMT+1PageDie Grosse Seestrasse in Wannsee – X. v. Switzerland
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/die-grosse-seestrasse-in-wannsee-2013-x-v-switzerland
The painting “Die Grosse Seestrasse in Wannsee” was bought in 1948 by François de Diesbach. After de Diesbach’s death, the painting was forgotten within the Swiss embassy. When the Swiss embassy decided to donate the painting to the Liebermann Villa, a distant relative of de Diesbach seized a Swiss court and claimed ownership over the painting. The High Court of the Canton of Bern ultimately held that the Swiss Confederation had acquired ownership over the painting.No publisherOwnership/propriétéLoan/prêtJudicial decision/décision judiciaireArtwork/oeuvre d’artJudicial claim/action en justiceNegotiation/négociationSwitzerland/SuisseLiebermann VillaNazi looted art/spoliations naziesPost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970DonationChoice of law/droit applicableState immunity/immunité des EtatsProcedural issue/limites procéduralesConditional restitution/restitution sous condition2019/10/01 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+1PageLa cueillette de Pissarro – Héritiers Simon Bauer c. Bruce et Robbi Toll
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/la-cueillette-de-pissarro-2013-heritiers-simon-bauer-c-bruce-et-robbi-toll
Les héritiers de Simon Bauer, juif déporté dont la collection avait été confisquée sous le régime nazi, profitent de la présence du tableau de Pissarro « La cueillette » en France dans le cadre d’une exposition pour en demander la restitution. Le Tribunal de grande instance de Paris ordonne la restitution de la toile le 7 novembre 2017. La Cour d’appel a confirmé cette décision le 2 octobre 2018.No publisherUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionJudicial decision/décision judiciaireArtwork/oeuvre d’artJudicial claim/action en justiceProcedural issue/limites procéduralesJurisdiction/conflit de jurisdictionStatute of limitation/prescriptionNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéSimon Bauer2019/04/03 17:10:00 GMT+1PageSevso Treasure – Lebanon et al. v. Marquess of Northampton
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/sevso-treasure-2013-lebanon-et-al-v-marquess-of-northampton
The Sevso Treasure was consigned at Sotheby’s by the Marquess of Northampton in 1989. Sotheby’s released a press statement which said that the treasure would not be sold until all claims against it had been dealt with. Hungary bought seven pieces of the treasure in 2014, and a further seven pieces in 2017.No publisherRequest denied/rejet de la demandeJudicial decision/décision judiciaireAntiquity/antiquitésOwnership/propriétéLebanon/LibanIllicit exportation/exportation illiciteJudicial claim/action en justiceRepurchase/rachatCroatia/CroatieSale/venteHungary/HongrieIllicit excavation/fouille illicitePost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970Marquess of Northampton2018/12/13 12:30:00 GMT+1PageMaori Panels – New Zealand and Ortiz Heirs
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/maori-panels-2013-new-zealand-and-ortiz-heirs-1
In 1972, five rare Maori wooden panels were discovered in a swamp in New Zealand’s North Island. Shortly after the discovery, the panels were illegally exported out of the country by an antiquities dealer and then bought by Swiss collector George Ortiz. In 2014 New Zealand obtained the return of the Maori panels by virtue of an agreement with the heirs of Ortiz.No publisherRequest denied/rejet de la demandeIndigenous object/objet autochtoneIllicit exportation/exportation illiciteConditional restitution/restitution sous conditionSale/venteJudicial claim/action en justiceNegotiation/négociationEnforcement of foreign law/applicabilité du droit public étrangerNew-Zealand/Nouvelle-ZélandeOrtiz HeirsPost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970Te Papa MuseumChoice of law/droit applicableGeorge OrtizRepurchase/rachatSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelJudicial decision/décision judiciaire2018/11/20 16:45:00 GMT+1PageHerzog Collection – De Csepel et al. v. Republic of Hungary et al.
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/herzog-collection-2013-de-csepel-et-al-v-republic-of-hungary-et-al
The “Herzog Collection” was originally an assembly of over two thousand works of art, collected by Baron Mór Lipót Herzog in the early 1900s. During World War II, the collection was seized by the Hungarian government, under Nazi orders. For the last seven decades, the Herzog Heirs have attempted to reclaim the Collection from the Republic of Hungary, without success. Now, the Herzog Heirs are taking their claim to the United States Supreme Court.No publisherAct of StateOngoing dispute/litige en coursJudicial decision/décision judiciaireDe CsepelArtwork/oeuvre d’artJudicial claim/action en justiceNazi looted art/spoliations naziesHerzog HeirsBreach of contract/violation du contratState responsibility/responsabilité internationale des EtatsState immunity/immunité des EtatsHungaryJurisdiction/conflit de jurisdiction2018/08/22 15:00:00 GMT+1Page