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A Camille Pissarro painting looted by Nazis from a Jewish woman in Berlin rightfully belongs to the Spanish museum that ultimately acquired it, or so a U.S. District Court judge in Los Angeles has ruled. His decision was not just a blow to the family members who filed the lawsuit, but also a troubling indication of how difficult it is to carry out the restitution of artworks stolen in that era.
No one disputes that Lilly Cassirer was forced to give up the painting of a Paris streetscape, "Rue Saint-Honore, Apres Midi, Effet de Pluie," in exchange for an exit visa out of Berlin. What is disputed is whether the Thyssen-Bornemiesza Museum in Madrid, which bought the painting as part of the late Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza's collection in 1993 and has displayed it since the early '90s, is the rightful owner.
Two of Cassirer's descendants have waged a 20-year battle to get back the painting, last valued at $30 million.
Similar battles have played out in courts and auction houses around the world as the whereabouts of artistic works have become easier...