Centre du droit de l'art
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr
The Night Café Painting – Morozov Heirs v. Yale University
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/the-night-cafe-painting-2013-morozov-heirs-v-yale-university
In 1908, Ivan Morozov, a Russian art collector, purchased Van Gogh’s painting “The Night Café”. The 1917 Bolshevik Revolution led to the nationalization of private property, and as such Morozov’s art collection was confiscated and subsequently sold. No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireIvan MorozovRequest denied/rejet de la demandeArtwork/oeuvre d’artExpropriationAct of StateDue diligenceJudicial claim/action en justiceYale UniversityPre 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution pre 1970Procedural issue/limites procéduralesOwnership/propriété2015/02/25 10:55:00 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+1PageTête du roi Badu Bonsu II – Ghana et Pays-Bas
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/tete-du-roi-badu-bonsu-ii-2013-ghana-et-pays-bas
En 1838, Badu Bonsu II, roi des Ahanta du Ghana, est condamné à mort par les autorités coloniales néerlandaises. Il sera pendu et décapité. Sa tête sera transportée aux Pays-Bas. Par la suite, un accord de restitution de cette tête sera signé à La Haye entre les gouvernements néerlandais et ghanéen ainsi qu’un représentant de la tribu Ahanta.No publisherDeaccessionGhanaSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelState responsibility/responsabilité internationale des EtatsNetherlands/Pays-BasHuman remains/restes humainsDiplomatic channel/voie diplomatiqueColonialism/colonialismeAhanta tribe/tribu AhantaNegotiation/négociationUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionOwnership/propriétéInalienability/inaliénabilité2017/03/20 14:35:00 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+1PageSt. Agatha Statue – St. Martin’s Church and Private Person
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/st-agatha-statue-2013-st-martin2019s-church-and-private-person
In November 2012, Sotheby’s offered at auction a meter-tall statue of St. Agatha, by the Dutch sculptor Jan van Steffieswert (1465-1530). It was stolen in 1976 from St. Martin’s Church, in Gronsveld, the Netherlands.No publisherCriminal offence/infraction pénaleSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelArtwork/oeuvre d’artSymbolic gesture/geste symboliquePrivate person/personne privéeDue diligenceMediation/médiationRepurchase/rachatSt. Martin’s ChurchPost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970Ownership/propriété2015/02/09 11:15:00 GMT+1PageSix 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+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+1PageSchiele Drawing – Grunbaum Heirs v. David Bakalar
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/schiele-drawing-2013-grunbaum-heirs-v-david-bakalar
In 1938, the Nazi expropriated the art collection of Fritz Grunbaum while he was detained in Dachau concentration camp. In 1963, David Bakalar purchased a Schiele drawing that had belonged to the Grunbaum family from a gallery in Bern.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireRequest denied/rejet de la demandeArtwork/oeuvre d’artExpropriationDavid BakalarJudicial claim/action en justiceProcedural issue/limites procéduralesFritz and Elizabeth GrunbaumChoice of law/droit applicableNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriété2014/09/15 17:50:00 GMT+1PageSarcophage romain – I. SA c. Ordonnance de restitution et Turquie
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/sarcophage-romain-2013-i-sa-c-ordonnance-de-restitution-et-turquie
Fin 2010, lors d’un contrôle d’inventaire aux Ports francs de Genève, l’Administration fédérale des douanes découvre un exceptionnel sarcophage romain représentant les douze travaux d’Hercule. Suspicieuse, l’Administration séquestre le bien. La Turquie se constitue comme partie plaignante dans la procédure pénale ouverte à Genève, se déclarant légitime propriétaire du sarcophage. En 2015, le Ministère public genevois ordonne la restitution de l’objet à la Turquie. Le détenteur du sarcophage recourt en vain devant la Cour de Justice puis au Tribunal fédéral, avant de se rétracter. L’objet doit donc être restitué à la Turquie, mais personne n’a été condamnéNo publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireCriminal offence/infraction pénaleSwitzerland/SuisseMinistère public genevoisArchaeological object/objet archéologiqueJudicial claim/action en justiceUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionIllicit excavation/fouille illicitePost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970Ownership/propriétéTurkey/Turquie2017/12/22 16:35:00 GMT+1PageSammlung 101 - City of Bremen, Kunsthalle Bremen and Russia
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/sammlung-101-city-of-bremen-kunsthalle-bremen-and-russia-1
In the 1990s, Russia and the City of Bremen began to negotiate for the return of “Sammlung 101”, a collection of 101 drawings. The drawings were transferred from the Kunsthalle Bremen (Bremen Art Museum) to Russia in the aftermath of the Second World War by a Soviet soldier. No publisherExchange/échangeAd hoc facilitator/facilitateur ad hocArtwork/oeuvre d’artKunsthalle BremenDiplomatic channel/voie diplomatiqueSpoils of war/butins de guerreNegotiation/négociationRussia/RussieOwnership/propriétéSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelCity of Bremen2013/01/21 19:40:00 GMT+1PageSabre de El Hadj Omar Tall – France et Sénégal
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/sabre-de-el-hadj-omar-tall-2013-france-et-senegal
Le sabre avec fourreau, attribué à El Hadj Omar Tall, pris dans des circonstances encore obscures, a été conservé en France à la suite de la conquête de l’Empire Toucouleur, puis prêté à deux reprises au Sénégal avant d’être définitivement restitué par la France, en 2021, par le vote d’une loi de restitution issue d’une initiative politique française.No publisherDeaccessionAntiquity/antiquitésSénégalSymbolic gesture/geste symboliqueUnconstrained initiative/initiative spontanéeFranceColonialism/colonialismeProcedural issue/limites procéduralesCultural cooperation/coopération culturelleUnconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionOwnership/propriétéInalienability/inaliénabilité2022/02/22 11:00:00 GMT+1PageRoad to Calvary – Oppenheimer Heirs and Private Person
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/road-to-calvary-2013-oppenheimer-heirs-and-private-person
In 1935, Nazi authorities took from Jakob and Rosa Oppenheimer a painting entitled “Road to Calvary” by Brunswijker Monogrammist and sold it at auction. The painting resurfaced in 2006 when a Dutch private individual brought it to Sotheby’s determined to sell it. Instead of asking for the painting’s restitution, the Oppenheimer heirs demanded a portion of the sale’s proceeds. The Dutch Restitutions Committee issued a binding opinion on the matter, as requested by the parties.No publisherSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelArtwork/oeuvre d’artInstitutional facilitator/facilitateur institutionnelPrivate person/personne privéeDue diligenceSale/venteNazi looted art/spoliations naziesOwnership/propriétéJakob and Rosa Oppenheimer2012/11/19 09:50:00 GMT+1PageQuedlinburg Treasures – Quedlinburg Church and Meador Heirs
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/quedlinburg-treasures-2013-quedlinburg-church-and-meador-heirs
After the withdrawal of US troops from the medieval town of Quedlinburg in Nazi Germany, the “Quedlinburg Treasures” were found to be missing. This theft was perpetrated by US soldier Joe T. Meador. After his death, the manuscripts passed on to his brother and sister who attempted to sell them. Some manuscripts were purchased by West German entities, whereas the Church of Quedlinburg purchased the rest of the treasures pursuant to a settlement agreement with the Meador Heirs.No publisherJudicial decision/décision judiciaireCriminal offence/infraction pénaleJoe T. MeadorArtwork/oeuvre d’artGermany/AllemagneConditional restitution/restitution sous conditionJudicial claim/action en justiceSpoils of war/butins de guerreStatute of limitation/prescriptionNegotiation/négociationUnited States/États-UnisOwnership/propriétéSettlement agreement/accord transactionnelQuedlinburg Church2016/05/18 10:40:00 GMT+1PageQuatre momies – Chili et Personne privée
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/quatre-momies-2013-chili-et-personne-privee
Le 20 janvier 2011, un particulier restitue quatre momies vieilles de 4000 à 6000 ans au Chili. Des représentants du Chili, des responsables du Musée d’Ethnographie de la Ville de Genève et le Service spécialisé de l’Office fédéral de la culture ont joué un rôle déterminant dans cette affaire.No publisherOwnership/propriétéPrivate person/personne privéeMusée d’ethnographie de la Ville de GenèveHuman remains/restes humainsNegotiation/négociationPost 1970 restitution claims/demandes de restitution post 1970Unconditional restitution/restitution sans conditionAd hoc facilitator/facilitateur ad hocChile/Chili2013/04/12 14:30:00 GMT+1PagePulcinell Sculpture – Budge Heirs v. Anonymous Purchaser
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/pulcinell-sculpture-2013-budge-heirs-v-anonymous-purchaser
A sculpture of Pulcinell was purchased by an anonymous buyer at auction in London in 2016. The buyer applied for an export license and the case came before the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest of the United Kingdom. During the review, it was discovered that the sculpture had been subject to forced sale by Nazis in 1937. The heirs of Emma Budge, the dispossessed owner of the sculpture, discovering what had become of the sculpture, attempted to secure its restitution.No publisherRequest denied/rejet de la demandeInstitutional facilitator/facilitateur institutionnelArtwork/oeuvre d’artOwnership/propriétéUnited Kingdom/Royaume-UniBudge HeirsConciliationNazi looted art/spoliations naziesProcedural issue/limites procédurales2019/08/13 11:55:00 GMT+1Page