New York's Supreme Court ordered on April 3 the return to Philippe Maestracci of a Modigliani painting looted from his grandfather by the Nazis. The work, valued at 21.5 million euros, was the subject of a 17-year legal battle against collector David Nahmad. Maestracci, 81, living in Dordogne, expresses emotion for his grandfather's memory.
Philippe Maestracci, 81, secured a court victory after 17 years of proceedings in New York courts. On April 3, the New York Supreme Court ruled in his favor, ordering the return of L’homme assis à la canne, a canvas painted by Amedeo Modigliani in 1919 depicting Georges Menier, a chocolate manufacturer.
The painting had been looted from his grandfather, Jewish gallery owner Oscar Stettiner, during the Nazi occupation. Maestracci, a former farm owner leading a modest life in Dordogne, opposed a team of American lawyers for collector David Nahmad.
The work is valued at 25 million dollars, or 21.5 million euros. “After all these years of procedure, what the Germans did to my grandfather has been repaired. I am especially happy for him and for his memory,” Maestracci said, moved over the phone.
He added that this sum “is not what’s important” and hopes it “changes nothing in [his] life.” This ruling ends a long quest to remedy a World War II looting.
