Art Law
Museums’ Suit Says They Rightfully Own Two Picassos
Two New York museums are asking a court to declare them the rightful owners of two Picasso paintings claimed by a German man who says they were sold under duress during the Nazi regime.
Julius Schoeps claims he has a right to the paintings once owned by his great-uncle Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, a banker and a descendant of the composer Felix Mendelssohn, the Associated Press reports.
But the lawsuit filed in New York federal court by the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation says the museums were not part of a forced sale and they are the rightful owners, the New York Times reports.
The disputed paintings are Le Moulin de la Galette and Boy Leading a Horse.
