Monet’s “Bord de Mer” confiscated for Nazi trafficking

Recent years have not been immune to the displacement of people and art, and works often reach the hands of the authorities, either through means of protection or through attempts to traffic works. We have even seen historical cases of seizure rectifications, often in the context of illicitly acquired museum assets. Knowing how many works still exist in that condition, it is not surprising to see the Monet looted by the Nazis. Mer edge returning to the right hands.

Mer edge It’s a small, simple coastline in pastel colors, an indifferent landscape of teal and peach hues. Overall it is not the artist’s most striking work, but his style is still evident. And of course, a Monet is a Monet. It once belonged to Adalbert and Hilda Parlagi, when they fled Austria from the invading force of the Nazis, they left the painting in a Viennese warehouse with the intention of recovering it after the war. But of course this property was confiscated in 1940 and the works it contained were subsequently trafficked.

The work recently passed into the hands of the FBI through its last buyers, Bridget Vita and her late husband Kevin Schlamp. A lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, with indications that Parlagis’s descendants, Françoise Parlagi and Helen Lowe, are the legitimate heirs of the work.

Although the court has not yet ruled, Mer edge appears to be one of the least volatile requisition cases. As the question of rightful ownership is resolved, it is always important to remember how many of the offerings from our beloved galleries and museums often unknowingly end up there through darker means.

Related