Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
News

Letter among Panama papers reveals Sotheby’s awareness of Modigliani’s true owners

Oscar Stettiner estate lawyers redouble efforts for return of painting as Nazi loot

Cristina Ruiz
31 May 2016
Share

The estate of Oscar Stettiner, a Jewish gallery owner whose works of art were seized by the Nazis, has provided a New York court with fresh evidence that the Nahmad family of art dealers is the current owner of a Modigliani painting, Seated Man with Cane (1918), which the estate is claiming.

A 2011 case seeking the return of the canvas from the Nahmads faltered after the dealers said that the Modigliani was owned by a company called the International Art Center (IAC) and not by them. However, documents among the so-called Panama papers leak that were published in April reveal that the IAC was set up on behalf of the Nahmads and has always been controlled by the family.

Following these revelations the estate of Oscar Stettiner has “accelerated [its] efforts in court and started the discovery process”, a spokesperson says in an email to The Art Newspaper. The new documentation provided to the court includes a letter from Sotheby’s, which had offered the Modigliani for sale on behalf of the Nahmads in November 2008 (the painting didn’t sell).

In a letter to “Mr Nahmad” dated 11 February 2010, Lucian Simmons of Sotheby’s writes that he had recently been approached by James Palmer of the Mondex Corporation, an agency that “undertakes research for families who lost artworks in WWII” and which had been instructed by Oscar Stettiner’s heirs to advance a claim on the Modigliani.

“I have not and will not disclose your identity to him unless I am obligated to do so by order of the court,” Simmons wrote. Auction houses are bound by confidentiality agreements with their clients, in this case the Nahmads, and there is no suggestion that Sotheby’s did anything wrong.

NewsArt market
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Restitutionnews
9 January 2020

New evidence cited in restitution claim for Panama Papers Modigliani

Dealer Oscar Stettiner’s grandson says painting, now owned by David Nahmad, was looted by Nazis

Catherine Hickley
Lawnews
11 April 2016

Swiss authorities reportedly seize Modigliani painting after Panama Papers revelation

Leaked documents have sparked Geneva probe into $25m canvas stolen by Nazis

Anny Shaw