Nazi-Era Sale Dispute: Jewish Heirs Challenge Sotheby’s $180 Million Gogh Painting Auction
Heirs Seek Auction Withdrawal
The heirs, who live in the United States, have asked Sotheby’s to remove “Blossoming Chestnut Trees” from sale days before the planned auction in Manhattan. They say their former family-owned painting was sold in 1936 under duress linked to Nazi persecution.
Their account connects the sale in Amsterdam to financial damage suffered by the family’s publishing company under Nazi rule. The heirs are represented by Berlin lawyer Gunnar Schnabel.
Lawyer Calls For Evidence
In an email dated Nov. 12 to Marco Toracca, who leads Sotheby’s restitution department, Schnabel asked the auction house to establish that the 1936 price matched market value. He also urged it to show the family would have proceeded with the sale even without Nazi rule.
Schnabel wrote that an auction should not go ahead otherwise. He said his client was willing to seek a fair resolution in line with the 1998 Washington Principles, international guidelines for addressing confiscated or Nazi-looted art.
Painting In Buenos Aires Collection
Philip Hook, a former Sotheby’s executive and author, described the collection in the auction announcement as long kept from public view and widely discussed. Sotheby’s said it was committed to pursuing a mutually satisfactory resolution.
Key points
- The heirs want Sotheby’s to withdraw the painting from its Manhattan auction.
- They say it was sold in Amsterdam in 1936 because Nazi persecution harmed the family business.
- Their lawyer wants evidence the sale was at market value and would have occurred without Nazi rule.
- Sotheby’s says it is working toward a mutually satisfactory resolution.