U.S. Court Weighs Claim for Nazi Looted Art Held in Museums
- January 23, 2013 22:41
In what could be the last of the major Holocaust restitution cases, a three-judge federal appellate court heard oral arguments in a case involving more than 40 artworks valued at $100 million that were stolen during World War II.
Heirs of Jewish banker and collector Baron Mór Lipót Herzog, led by his great-grandson David de Csepel of Altadena, Calif., are seeking the return or payment for the artwork which was seized by Nazis. Some the art is in Hungarian museums.
El Greco, van Dyck, Velázquez, Renoir and Monet are among the artists represented in the dispersed Herzog collection. Nazis seized some pieces, giving many to the Hungarians who colloborated with them while the Soviet army took other works.
Hungary contends that the U.S. courts have no jurisdiction there.
The Herzog family attorney says that some of his clients are U.S. citizens and that the U.S. has a vested interest in the case.
A court ruling has yet to be made.
Read more at Los Angeles Times
