The U.S. Supreme Court has given new hope to a family seeking to recover a painting stolen by the Nazis during World War II. The painting, “Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain” by French impressionist Camille Pissarro, currently hangs in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, Spain. The painting originally belonged to Lilly Cassirer Neubauer, a German Jew who surrendered it to the Nazis in exchange for visas to flee Germany with her husband.
After changing hands several times, the painting was acquired by Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza in 1976 and later sold to Spain in the 1990s as part of his art collection. In 2000, Neubauer’s grandson, Claude Cassirer, discovered the painting on display at the Madrid museum. He filed a lawsuit in 2005 to reclaim the artwork but passed away in 2010.
Supreme Court reexamines Holocaust art case
His son, David Cassirer, took over the family’s quest. Lower courts had previously ruled in favor of the museum, stating that it lawfully obtained and owned the painting.
However, the Supreme Court has now mandated that the case be reconsidered under a new California law passed last year. This law aims to strengthen the claims of Holocaust survivors and their families seeking to recover stolen art. David Cassirer expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for “insisting on applying principles of right and wrong.” The museum’s lawyers stated that they will continue efforts to confirm the museum’s ownership of the painting, as they have done for the past 20 years.
The outcome of this case could have significant implications for other artworks seized during the Nazi era that are now the subject of similar legal battles. New guidelines agreed to by 21 nations and a recent French law may also make it easier for Jewish families to claim ownership of artworks sold under duress during the Holocaust.