Centre du droit de l'art
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr
Jardin à Auvers – Agent judiciare du Trésor c. Walter
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/jardin-a-auvers-2013-agent-judiciare-du-tresor-c-walter
Dans son arrêt du 20 février 1996, la Cour de Cassation de la France a condamné l’Etat français à indemniser le propriétaire d’un tableau dont l’exportation avait été refusée pour cause de classement d’office. No publisherAgent judiciaire du TrésorOwnership/propriétéJudicial claim/action en justiceFinancial compensation/indemnisationJacques WalterArtwork/oeuvre d’artFranceJudicial decision/décision judiciaireExpropriation2013/05/15 11:50:00 GMT+1DocumentTwo Dürer Paintings – Kunstsammlungen Zu Weimar v. Elicofon
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/2-durer-paintings-2013-kunstsammlungen-zu-weimar-v-elicofon
In 1945, two portraits by Albrecht Dürer were stolen from the collection of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen zu Weimar. Stored for safekeeping in the Schwarburg Castle during the Second World War, the paintings disappeared during the time that American troops occupied the Castle. No publisherUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionJudicial decision/décision judiciaireCriminal offence/infraction pénaleGermany/AllemagneArtwork/oeuvre d’artEdward I. ElicofonDue diligenceJudicial claim/action en justiceGrand Duchess of Saxony-WeimarSpoils of war/butins de guerreProcedural issue/limites procéduralesChoice of law/droit applicableStatute of limitation/prescriptionOwnership/propriétéKunstsammlungen Zu Weimar2012/11/16 15:05:00 GMT+1DocumentFour Old Master Drawings – Feldmann Heirs and the British Museum
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/case-4-old-master-drawings-2013-feldmann-heirs-and-the-british-museum
In May of 2002, the British Museum was confronted with a restitution claim by the heirs of the Second World War victim, Arthur Feldmann, regarding four Old Master drawings. The Commission of Looted Art Europe, who represented the claimant, and the British Museum, jointly sought guidance from the Spoliation Advisory Panel. After deferral of the Attorney General, the High Court held that under the British Museum Act the Museum could not restitute an object in order to meet a moral obligation without an Act of Parliament. Eventually, the British Museum followed the recommendation of the Spoliation Advisory Panel and compensated the family with an ex gratia payment.No publisherDeaccessionArtwork/oeuvre d’artInstitutional facilitator/facilitateur institutionnelEx gratia payment/versement à titre gracieuxJudicial claim/action en justiceArthur FeldmannNegotiation/négociationSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelBritish Museum2012/11/12 15:45:00 GMT+1DocumentSix Klimt paintings – Maria Altmann and Austria
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/6-klimt-paintings-2013-maria-altmann-and-austria
Maria Altmann brought suit in the United States against the Republic of Austria and the Austrian National Gallery to recover six paintings by Gustav Klimt that the Nazis took during the Second World War from her Jewish relatives, Ferdinand and Adele Bloch-Bauer. Although the Supreme Court of the United States lifted Austria’s jurisdictional immunity, the disputants reached an agreement to end the litigation and submit the dispute to arbitration in Austria. The arbitration panel ruled that Austria was obliged to return five of the Klimt’s masterpieces to Maria Altmann.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireConciliationArtwork/oeuvre d’artState immunity/immunité des EtatsArbitral award/décision arbitraleInstitutional facilitator/facilitateur institutionnelArbitration/arbitrageJudicial claim/action en justiceMaria AltmannUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionAustria/AutricheNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéFerdinand and Adele Bloch-BauerAustrian National Gallery2012/11/13 15:55:00 GMT+1DocumentHerzog 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+1DocumentThe 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+1DocumentPortrait 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+1DocumentTwo 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+1Document25 Objets d’art précolombien – Lempertz c. Etat de Rhénanie-du-Nord-Westphalie
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/25-objets-d2019art-precolombien-2013-lempertz-c-etat-de-rhenanie-du-nord-westphalie
La maison de vente aux enchères Lempertz met en vente des objets d’art précolombien. A la demande du Mexique, qui estime que 25 de ces biens appartiennent à son patrimoine culturel, l’Etat de Rhénanie-du-Nord Westphalie rend une ordonnance de saisie conservatoire en vue du retour de 25 biens au Mexique. Saisis par Lempertz, les tribunaux allemands jugent que faute d’effet rétroactif de la Convention UNESCO de 1970 et de sa loi allemande d’application, les conditions pour un retour ne sont pas réunies. Les objets sont transférés à leurs acquéreurs.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireEtat de Rhénanie-du-Nord-WestphalieIllicit exportation/exportation illiciteArchaeological object/objet archéologiqueJudicial claim/action en justicePre 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution pre 1970LempertzIllicit excavation/fouille illiciteRequest denied/rejet de la demande2018/05/28 10:35:00 GMT+1Document14 Artworks – Malewicz Heirs and City of Amsterdam
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/14-paintings-2013-malewicz-heirs-and-city-of-amsterdam
In 2003, 14 artworks by the Russian artist Kazimir Malewicz were exported to the United States by the Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam to be part of a temporary exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Menil Collection in Houston. Shortly before the end of the loans, the heirs of Malewicz brought an action against the City of Amsterdam seeking to recover the value of the artworks or, in the alternative, the artworks themselves.No publisherCity of AmsterdamNegotiation/négociationNetherlands/Pays-BasJudicial claim/action en justiceKazimir MalewiczSpoils of war/butins de guerreConditional restitution/restitution sous conditionArtwork/oeuvre d’artSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelAnti-seizure legislation/garantie de restitutionStedelijk MuseumState immunity/immunité des EtatsJudicial decision/décision judiciaireOwnership/propriétéUnited States/États-Unis2013/12/17 12:35:00 GMT+1DocumentOne-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+1DocumentCollection japonaise de Netsuke – Winkworth c. Christie’s
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/collection-japonaise-de-netsuke-2013winkworth-c-christie2019s
Une collection de Netsuke est dérobée en Angleterre, vendue à un collectionneur de bonne foi en Italie et finalement proposée aux enchères en Angleterre. William Winkworth, le propriétaire originaire, reconnaît les objets sur le catalogue de la maison de vente aux enchères Christie’s et agit en justice à Londres afin de voir reconnaître sa propriété sur les biens.No publisherRequest denied/rejet de la demandeJudicial decision/décision judiciaireCriminal offence/infraction pénaleOwnership/propriétéArtwork/oeuvre d’artItaly/ItalieJudicial claim/action en justicePost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970William WinkworthChoice of law/droit applicableChristie’sRoyaume-Uni/United Kingdom2014/02/03 18:35:00 GMT+1DocumentMaori 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+1DocumentSevso 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+1DocumentLa 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+1Document