Sotheby’s Defends $180m Van Gogh Sale as Fischer Heirs allege Nazi-Era Duress

Sotheby’s has said it is working to resolve a dispute over the planned auction of a Vincent van Gogh painting, after claims that the work was sold under duress during the Nazi era.

Châtaigniers en Fleurs, which carries an estimate of $180m (£136m), is scheduled to go under the hammer in New York on Wednesday.

However, representatives acting for the heirs of the Fischer family, the painting’s earlier German owners, argue that it may have been sold under duress as the Nazis rose to power.

Sotheby’s says its own “extensive research” has not established that the work was sold under duress, but has pledged to work with the family in an effort to reach a resolution.

“Sotheby’s takes provenance and restitution matters extremely seriously and has undertaken extensive research into the ownership history of Châtaigniers en fleurs,” the auction house told the BBC in a statement.

“We are aware of the concerns recently raised by representatives of the Fischer heirs and have been in dialogue with them regarding the painting’s history.

“While our research to date has not established that the painting was sold under duress, we recognize the importance of engaging thoughtfully and constructively with the family and are committed to working toward a mutually satisfactory resolution.”

The painting, whose title translates as Blossoming Chestnut Trees, is being offered as part of a group of works known as the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection.

Sotheby’s website sets out the artwork’s provenance, detailing how it has traced the oil painting’s ownership since 1890.

According to the auction house, the German publisher Samuel Fischer acquired the work in 1909, and it passed down through his family following his death in 1934.

The painting was deposited with Paul Cassirer in Amsterdam in 1932 or 1933, before being transferred to Henriette and Marcel Kapferer in Paris in 1936, Sotheby’s says.

Four further owners have held the work since then, ahead of its offering for sale this year.

The Fischer family heirs have instructed a lawyer who, according to the New York Times, has written to Sotheby’s.

The lawyer is reported to have told the auction house that the painting was sold in Amsterdam before World War Two owing to financial losses suffered by the Fischer family’s publishing company under the Nazis.

The BBC has approached the lawyer for comment.

Source link