French court overturns £1.2 million sale of ‘Nazi-looted’ Pissarro painting

Sotheby’s has been told that it must reveal the identity of a buyer who purchased a Camille Pissarro painting for £1.2 million at a 2024 auction, with a French court ordering the restitution of the picture to the heirs of the Jewish banker, whom it was taken from in 1941.

Darse de pêche et bassin Duquesne (fishing dock and Duquesne basin) painted in 1902, was owned by the Jewish banker Solomon Flavian, and was believed to have been looted by the Nazis in 1941. It was included in the 1947 Répertoire des biens spoliés (repertory of looted art) published by the French government.

As reported by The Art newspaper, the picture was offered at auction by Sotheby’s with the acknowledgement that it had been looted art, but that the painting was “offered for sale pursuant to a settlement between the current owner and heirs of Salomon Flavian”.

However, a lawyer for other members of Flavian’s family said that while two heirs had been consulted, the others had not been. The French court rejected a study, cited by Sothebys and the Mondex Corporation, a firm which specialises in returning looted art, that the painting had been sold to another collection prior to its seizure in 1941.

The Paris court subsequently ruled that “all successive sales of the disputed painting since its spoliation” were null and void, and “ordered the restitution of the work, wherever and in whoever’s possession it may be found”.

The ruling late last week gave Sotheby’s two months in which to reveal the name of the 2024 purchaser, with a potential fine of 1,000 Euros daily if the auction house failed to reveal the requisite information by the deadline.

Sotheby’s London said that it was “disappointed by the judgement regarding the restitution, but went on to say that “we fully recognise the profound losses suffered by the Flavian family during the Nazi era and, from the outset, have approached this matter responsibly and with the care and respect it deserves.”

Mondex reportedly plans to appeal the ruling; it is not yet clear whether Sotheby’s will also do so.