Heir Wins 11-Year Legal Battle to Reclaim Modigliani Stolen by Nazis
The long-running court dispute between the Nahmad family, a prominent European art-dealing dynasty, and the Estate of a Jewish antiques dealer, Oscar Stettiner, has finally come to a close after more than a decade. The New York Supreme Court ruled on April 3 in favor of the Estate, bringing an end to years of dispute and success to the Estate and its tenacious legal and specialized research team.
In 2015, the Stettiner Estate filed suit in New York Supreme Court arguing that the painting, Seated Man With a Cane (1918), by Amedeo Modigliani, was looted from Stettiner’s Paris gallery during the Nazi occupation of France. The painting was later sold and entered the international art market where, for decades, it was held by a Nahmad family-associated entity, the International Art Center.
Representing the Estate and Stettiner heirs, attorneys Phillip Landrigan, James Palmer (Mondex) and Geri S. Krauss led the international legal effort to recover the work. Known for their expertise in the recovery of Nazi-looted art, this team successfully advanced the argument that the painting in question was the same as that taken directly from Oscar Stettiner in 1944, helping to establish a clear chain of ownership despite longstanding challenges. The Mondex research team also deserves particular recognition for its incredible research and findings concerning the work.
Interestingly, the Nahmad family initially denied owning the artwork, attributing it to the International Art Center (IAC) in Panama. However, the 2016 Panama Papers leaks confirmed Peter Nahmad as the owner of the IAC, thus supporting the plaintiffs’ argument concerning chain of title from 1944 to the present day.
The Modigliani painting was purportedly valued at over $25 million before the filing of the lawsuit. The work’s ownership hinged on whether it could be definitively identified as the same painting once owned by Oscar Stettiner. The defendants long contested this point. However, the Supreme Court ultimately determined that the painting was indeed the very looted work and ruled that Stettiner’s Estate is entitled to possession and its return.
RPJ congratulates the Stettiner Estate and its tenacious advocates, including RPJ friend Geri S. Krauss working from New York, who labored for a decade to achieve this important win. Edward W. Greason (as fiduciary for the Estate of Oscar Stettiner) v. David Nahmad, et al., 2026 NY Slip Op 50461(U), Supreme Court, New York County, J. Joel M. Cohen, April 3, 2026.