| dc.description.abstract | Since the end of World War II, Holocaust survivors and the families of Holocaust victims have searched for, identified, and sought the return of artworks stolen from their collections by the Nazis. For as long as these families have sought the repatriation of these artworks, however, museums and individuals who have found themselves in possession of such artworks after their theft have expended every legal argument and loophole available in order to retain possession of the works. This case study examines the history of a single painting, Camille Pissarro’s La bergère rentrant des moutons (Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep): its theft during the Nazi occupation of France in 1941, the strange journey it took before being donated to the University of Oklahoma in 2000, and the controversy that was sparked when the daughter of the original owners (Léone Meyer) sued for its return. By focusing on one specific case, this text is intended to illustrate the widespread problems related to provenance of European artworks, as well as the deficiencies in our legal system that prevent Jewish families from regaining possession of artworks looted under the Nazi regime. | |
