New York museums fight to keep 2 Picassos, sold as Nazis came to power
The two Picasso paintings have been in prominent New York museum collections for decades. But now the institutions are asking a court to declare them the lawful owners amid a Jewish scholar's claims that the works were the rightful property of a relative persecuted in Nazi Germany.
The Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation said they took the step Friday to fend off an expected lawsuit from Julius H. Schoeps, a German who has been waging a legal fight to recover artwork and property once owned by his great-uncle.
Schoeps demanded on Nov. 1 that the museums hand over "Boy Leading a Horse," which is in MoMA's collection, and "Le Moulin de la Galette," in the Guggenheim's collection.
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The Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation said they took the step Friday to fend off an expected lawsuit from Julius H. Schoeps, a German who has been waging a legal fight to recover artwork and property once owned by his great-uncle.
Schoeps demanded on Nov. 1 that the museums hand over "Boy Leading a Horse," which is in MoMA's collection, and "Le Moulin de la Galette," in the Guggenheim's collection.