New York Supreme Court Orders Return of Nazi-Looted Modigliani Painting to Heir
The New York Supreme Court has ruled that art dealer David Nahmad must return a painting by Amedeo Modigliani, which was looted by the Nazis, to the heir of its original owner, Oscar Stettiner. This decision concludes over a decade of legal battles between Nahmad and Philippe Maestracci, Stettiner's grandson. The painting, 'Seated Man With a Cane,' was seized during the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1939 and later sold at a Christie's auction in 1996. Judge Joel M. Cohen determined that Stettiner never voluntarily relinquished the painting, affirming a 1946 French court decision. The painting, valued at $30 million, has been in storage in Switzerland since its purchase by Nahmad. 
