FBI Returns Lost Claude Monet Painting Stolen From Nazis To Heirs Of Original Owners 84 Years Later
In 1940 the Nazis seized a pastel painting by Claude Monet as well as seven other art pieces from Adalbert and Hilda Parlagi, a Jewish couple that was forced to leave their home in Vienna after Austria was annexed by Adolf Hitler, according to reports from Reuters.
After the war, Adalbert searched for his stolen art, but unfortunately never found it before he died in 1981. His son continued his father’s search but unfortunately was never able to find it either before he passed away in 2012.
This month, however, Parlagi’s granddaughters Helen Lowe and Francoise Parlagi received the missing Monet painting, nearly 80 years after it was taken. The FBI and a British-based nonprofit worked together to find the painting in the United States.
“It’s an act of justice to have it returned. It has huge sentimental meaning for the family,” said Anne Webber, the co-chair of the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, the non-profit that initially began helping Parlagis’ heirs in 2014.
The painting is called “Bord de Mer” and is a 7-by-11-inch pastel work. The painting dates back to 1865, and depicts a landscape scene of France’s Normandy shoreline.
The Parlagi family initially stored the Monet painting with the rest of their possessions at a shipping company warehouse in 1938. In 1940, however, the Nazis stole their property and the Monet painting was sold in 1941 at an auction.
The FBI initially got involved with finding the painting in 2021 after the commission group discovered that the painting was acquired by a New Orleans-based art dealer in 2017 and then sold it to private collectors in 2019.
The FBI was then able to recover the painting in 2023 after they found it for sale at a gallery in Houston, Texas.
“While this Monet is undoubtedly valuable, its true worth lies in what it represents to the Parlagi family,” said James Dennehy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York City office, in a statement.
The family is continuing their search for six other artworks, the FBI is assisting them further in hopefully reuniting all the works to the heirs of the Parlagis.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.