Impressionist Painting Looted by Nazis Sells at Auction

The cloud over a painting by noted Impressionist painter Maurice de Vlaminck has finally lifted seven decades after being looted by Nazi troops. The painting, La Voile Blanche à Bougival, was stolen from the gallery of Joseph Bernheim-Jeune just after the fall of Paris in 1940 and eventually found its way onto the international art market.

But in the late 1970’s the heirs of Bernheim-Jeune spotted the lost work and began a multi-decade long quest to gain title to the valuable piece. After a series of public and private transactions through the 80’s and 90’s the heirs and current owner reached an agreement that would end the long battle over rightful ownership.

The painting recently sold at Christie’s Auction House in New York for $227,433 and brought to a close one more controversy from a troubled era in Western history.

See Eileen Kinsella, Nazi Looted Vlaminck Sold at Christie’s Ending Decades of Controversy, Artnet News, Feb. 5, 2015.

Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.