Heirs of Jewish Publisher Urge Sotheby’s to Withdraw $180M Van Gogh Painting
Descendants of Gottfried Bermann Fischer argue Châtaigniers en fleurs (1890) was sold under duress in 1936 following the family’s flight from Berlin.
The descendants of a prominent Jewish publishing family have called on Sotheby’s to withdraw Vincent van Gogh’s 1890 painting Châtaigniers en fleurs (Blossoming Chestnut Trees) ahead of its marquee evening sale in New York, contending that the work was sold under Nazi coercion in 1936.
Estimated at $180 million, the canvas is slated to headline Sotheby’s upcoming Modern and Contemporary auction on Wednesday night. However, according to a report by The New York Times, legal representatives for the heirs have challenged the consignment, citing the circumstances surrounding its wartime-era sale.
The painting originally belonged to Gottfried Bermann Fischer, who inherited the work alongside the renowned Berlin publishing house S. Fischer Verlag from his father-in-law. According to research compiled by the heirs' attorney, Gunnar Schnabel, the painting had been placed with art dealer Walter Feilchenfeldt in 1932 or 1933. Just three months prior to the 1936 transaction, Fischer fled Berlin for Vienna to escape Nazi persecution—a departure that subjected the family to the punitive "Reich flight tax" imposed on Jewish emigrants.
While Fischer successfully reclaimed ownership of S. Fischer Verlag after World War II, he never pursued restitution for the artworks sold during his exile. At the time, legal avenues for recovering art sold in neutral jurisdictions—the 1936 sale took place in the Netherlands—were virtually nonexistent.
In correspondence sent to the auction house on November 12 and reviewed by The New York Times, Schnabel demanded that Sotheby’s either suspend the sale or demonstrate that the 1936 transaction occurred at fair market value and independent of Nazi duress. He added that the family remains open to reaching an equitable settlement aligned with the 1998 Washington Principles, the international framework governing Nazi-looted art restitution.
In a statement addressing the dispute, Sotheby’s noted that its provenance research has not yet confirmed the work was sold under duress, though the auction house emphasized its willingness to work toward a resolution.
"We recognize the importance of engaging thoughtfully and constructively with the family and are committed to working toward a mutually satisfactory resolution," the house stated.
Main Image: Vincent van Gogh’s 1890 painting Châtaigniers en fleurs (Blossoming Chestnut Trees) Courtesy Sotheby's