Paris court orders return of Nazi-looted painting to relatives of art collector
Work of impressionist artist Camille Pissarro will be given back to the family of Jewish art collector Simon Bauer after the Nazis looted his stash
A Paris court ordered the return of a painting by Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro to the family of a Jewish art collector whose collection was seized by France’s Vichy government.
The relatives of Simon Bauer, a wealthy businessman whose assets were seized in 1943 by the anti-Semitic wartime French government that collaborated with the Nazis, sued for the return of the 1887 painting “La Cueillette des Pois,” or “Picking Peas.” The court issued its decision Tuesday.
The current owners, American citizens Bruce and Robbi Toll, had lent the painting for display to the Marmottan museum in Paris. A court in May granted the Bauer descendants’ request to have the painting impounded while waiting for the court to rule on ownership rights.
The Tolls bought the painting in an auction at Christie’s in New York in 1995 for £600,000 ($800,000.)
Their attorney told reporters after the ruling that the Tolls would appeal.
“My clients will be very disappointed not to be able to retrieve this painting, they were very attached to it,” Ron Soffer said. “They do not consider that it is up to them for pay for the crimes of the Vichy regime.”
Bauer survived World War II due in part to a strike by rail workers that stopped a train from deporting him to a Nazi concentration camp.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
