Monet’s stolen painting returned to owner’s descendants in 80 years

The early Claude Monet painting “Bord de Mer” (1865), which the Nazis stole during World War II, has been returned to the descendants of its original owners in more than 80 years, as reported by CNN and other sources on Monday.

“Bord de Mer” is a pastel work depicting the rocky coastline of Normandy, France. It was purchased in 1936 by Adalbert and Hilda Parlagi, an Austrian couple. However, when Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the Parlagis fled to London, leaving the painting behind in a Vienna shipping warehouse. Although the Parlagis later attempted to reclaim it, the Nazis seized their property in August 1940. The painting, known as “Bord de Mer,” was sold to an art dealer connected to the Nazi regime in 1941 and subsequently vanished from public view.

Adalbert Parlagi made several attempts to recover the painting until he died in 1981, as detailed by the British art publication The Art Newspaper. The search for the artwork gained momentum in 2014 when his descendants provided the Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE) with the original purchase receipt and documents related to its transfer of ownership. The return process began after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that “Bord de Mer” was listed for auction at a Houston gallery last year.

Upon learning of its "looted history," the American couple who had owned the painting voluntarily returned it to the Parlagi family’s descendants without seeking compensation, according to a report from Reuters.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com