"The ruling was a wonderful turning point in this 17-year journey from the time that we began working on this historic claim. Sharing the news with Mr. Maestracci was a moment of incredible joy, pride, and closure."
"Oscar Stettiner owned or at a minimum had a superior right of possession of the painting prior to its unlawful seizure, and he never voluntarily relinquished it."
"A British national, Stettiner fled Paris in 1939, leaving behind his art gallery. The Nazis seized his valuable art holdings, and hired an administrator, Marcel Philippon, to sell the works off."
A New York Supreme Court judge ruled that the estate of Oscar Stettiner is the rightful owner of the 1918 painting Seated Man With a Cane. This decision concludes an 11-year restitution case initiated by Stettiner's grandson, Philippe Maestracci. The painting, valued at $25 million, was seized by the Nazis during World War II. Stettiner had previously won a 1946 French court case for its return, but complications arose when the painting changed hands. The ruling marks a significant victory in the long journey for restitution.
Read at Artnet News
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