The family of a Jewish banker is taking auction house Sotheby’s to court after allegedly being shortchanged in a settlement over the £1.2 million sale of a painting from his collection, which they claim was stolen by the Nazis.
The painting, entitled Darse de pêche et bassin Duquesne, Dieppe, was created by the Jewish/Portuguese artist Camille Pissarro in 1902.
It was owned by Salomon Flavian, a wealthy Jewish/Romanian banker who lived in Paris.
Flavian’s extensive art collection was seized by the Nazis in Paris in 1941, and his heirs claim that this painting was one of those pieces taken.
Over the years, it has found itself at several galleries around the world, including the Tate in London and the Met in New York City.
A deal between the current owner and a buyer, both anonymous, in 2022 led to a settlement with Flavian's descendants over their claims that the work was rightfully theirs.
A spokesperson for Sotheby’s Paris said: “Those discussions resulted in a settlement agreement between the consignor and Mondex [Sotheby’s lawyers], which was fully disclosed in our catalogue and pursuant to which the work was sold.”
However, several of the heirs have said that only two of them were told about the settlement prior to the deal being done, meaning they had no say in agreeing to it. They also claim that the two heirs who did agree received twice the figure the other heirs did.
Melina Wolman, of Mondex, disputed the allegation that the painting was looted at all, saying there was no record of the work on a Nazi-maintained list of confiscated pieces.
This was challenged by the heirs, who said that previous owners may have had that information scrubbed so that the painting retained its value.
A verdict is due on November 5 at a Paris court.
However, Sotheby’s has argued that the court lacks jurisdiction, given that the sale itself took place in London.
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