Nazi-looted Kokoschka

NAZI-LOOTED KOKOSCHKA

This is a case we recently settled by an agreement so confidential that we are unable to show you an image of the artwork. We were hired to locate a Nazi-looted Kokoschka painting that was last seen in a gallery in the Czech Republic many years ago.

ARI was hired by the lawyers for a family that was forced to sell this work to pay the illicit “Jewish Property Tax” enacted by Nazi Germany.

With someone on the ground, we managed to chase down the gallery and, ultimately, the possessor of the Nazi-looted painting. Now this is where it gets weird. The first lawyer for the possessor was aware of our reputation for recovering Nazi-looted artworks, sometimes in a very public manner. His client was so afraid of being exposed, that he offered the heirs a very sizeable settlement sum to release any claim they had to the Kokoschka…provided ARI would not be involved in any public negotiations exposing the possessor. While this was an unusual demand, the clients were happy and a deal was struck. Ultimately, we negotiated the CONFIDENTIAL terms with the possessor’s second lawyer, who was not so afraid of us…