FBI Returns Stolen Claude Monet Painting to Jewish Family After 84 Years

The FBI has returned a painting by Claude Monet that was stolen by Nazis to a Jewish family after 84 years. This news was reported by RTVI.

The painting titled Bord de Mer ("Seaside") was stolen in Austria in 1940, according to Reuters, citing the Commission for Art Recovery in Europe.

Dating back to 1865, the painting originally belonged to a Jewish couple named Parlagi. It was taken during World War II and subsequently sold, after which its trail went cold.

The family continued their search for the painting until 2012, when the FBI became involved in 2021. Two years later, the artwork was discovered at an auction in an art gallery in Houston, Texas. The commission stated that the new owners voluntarily relinquished the work when investigators informed them of its history.

The agency notes that a total of eight paintings were stolen from the family, including a chalk portrait of composer Richard Wagner by Franz von Lenbach, which was returned last year. Efforts are ongoing to locate six more pieces that were stolen by the Nazis.