Paris court orders a Pissarro painting returned to Flavian’s heirs
A Paris court has ordered the return of a 1902 Pissarro painting to descendants of collector Salomon Flavian, nullifying sales since its wartime seizure. Seven heirs challenged a settlement associated with Sotheby’s 2024 sale in London. The auction house must identify the buyer to the family. Mondex consultant James Palmer disputes the ownership findings and says an appeal will be filed.
Arts··Midday
Court orders the painting returned
A Paris court has ordered a Camille Pissarro painting returned to the descendants of Jewish banker and art collector Salomon Flavian. The decision concerns a work seized during the Second World War and subsequently sold through Sotheby’s.[1], [2]
The 1902 canvas, Darse de pêche et bassin Duquesne, Dieppe, après-midi ensoleillée, depicts the harbor at Dieppe in western France. The court found that the family had established Flavian’s ownership, confiscation by German authorities and his efforts after the war to recover his property. It nullified sales since the seizure.[1]
Seven heirs challenge the settlement
Sotheby’s sold the painting in London in 2024 for 1.2 million pounds, describing the sale as subject to an agreement between its owner and Flavian’s heirs. Seven plaintiffs said they had been excluded and that only Gilles and Nicholas Flavian signed. The auction house’s lawyers said consent had been obtained through Mondex, a company specializing in recovering looted art and assets.[1]
Buyer identification and appeal
The court ordered Sotheby’s to identify the buyer to the family, with a daily penalty of 1,000 euros for failing to do so. Mondex consultant James Palmer says an appeal will be filed. He disputes the ownership findings, arguing that dealer Paul Rosenberg’s archives and the 1939 Pissarro catalogue identify Edward Le Bas as owner from 1939 into the early 1950s.[1]
