$25 Million Modigliani Goes to Jewish Heir in Landmark Restitution Case
A New York Supreme Court judge, Joel M. Cohen, ruled in early April 2026 that the estate of Jewish art dealer Oscar Stettiner is the rightful owner of Amedeo Modigliani’s 1918 painting Seated Man With a Cane, valued at up to $25 million. The decision resolves a lawsuit filed in 2015 by Stettiner’s grandson, Philippe Maestracci, against billionaire dealer David Nahmad, who currently possesses the work. The court found Stettiner fled Paris in 1939, the Nazis unlawfully seized the painting, and he “never voluntarily relinquished it,” with the case described by recovery firm Mondex Corporation’s James Palmer as a 17-year effort. The verdict was first reported by The New York Times, and Nahmad’s lawyer Aaron Richard Golub declined to say whether an appeal would be filed.
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This story was covered in Restitution Shockwaves and Museums Under Pressure