Grégoire Schusterman (1889-1976) was an art dealer whose gallery on Avenue Kléber in Paris was closed in 1940 as part of the anti-Semitic laws introduced by the Vichy government. Forced to flee Paris because of Nazi persecution, he had to sell some of his artworks to finance his escape. After the war, he resumed his business, but with reduced means. Grégoire Schusterman died in Paris in 1976. In 2022, one of his heirs filed a claim with the CIVS (Commission for the Restitution of Property and the Compensation of Victims of Anti-Semitic Spoliations). In the fall of 2023, following a review of the case by the Ministry of Culture’s Mission for Research and Restitution of Cultural Property Spoliated between 1933 and 1945, the CIVS ruled that the sale of these two paintings constituted a forced, spoliatory sale, and recommended that they be returned to Grégoire Schusterman’s heirs. The Prime Minister then approved the restitution on April 11, 2024. The restitution took place at a ceremony held at the Musée d’Orsay on May 16, 2024.
Which works have been returned?
Cariatides, by Auguste Renoir (1841-1919): this painting was found in Germany at the time of the Liberation, entrusted to the care of the Louvre, then the Musée d’Orsay, and deposited at the Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer. It is an oil on canvas, measuring 130cm x 41cm, depicting female figures in feigned architectural niches, illustrating the ambiguity between painting and sculpture that Renoir loved to explore. This painting was inventoried in the national collections under number MNR 198 (which stands for Musées Nationaux Récupération (National Museums for Recovery)).
Les Péniches, by Alfred Sisley (1839-1899): also an oil on canvas, 69cm x 101cm. This painting depicts a peaceful scene of barges on the water, announcing the artist’s impressionist style. Inventoried under number MNR 206, it had also been entrusted to the care of the Louvre after its return from Germany; having been placed under the responsibility of the Musée d’Orsay, it was deposited at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Narbonne.
“The restitution of these two works to their rightful owner came late in the day. Grégoire Schusterman had tried to recover his works after the war, but the French authorities, including Rose Valland, refused to return them at the time, as they had been sold between French dealers. There was no spoliation in the true sense of the word; the works had passed through the Paris market before being acquired by German dealers. Today, we analyze the economic situation of the persecuted person in detail, and, in the case of Schusterman, the forced sale was recognized by the CIVS, thus enabling restitution. ”
The restitution of these two paintings is part of an effort by the French state to repair the injustices committed during the Holocaust. Since the 1990s, France has renewed its commitment to returning looted cultural property to the families of the victims. This process includes proactive research and an assertive public policy for the reparation of anti-Semitic spoliations.
Article written by Anaïs Arnoux
Cariatides, 1909
Collection Musée d'Orsay - Maison de Renoir, domaine des Collettes, Cagnes-sur-Mer
Œuvre retrouvée en Allemagne après la seconde guerre mondiale et confiée à la garde des musées nationaux en 1950
© Musée d’Orsay, dist. GrandPalaisRmn / Sophie Crépy
Vue d'un port, 1870
Collection Musée d'Orsay - Château-musée de Dieppe, Dieppe
Œuvre retrouvée en Allemagne après la seconde guerre mondiale et confiée à la garde des musées nationaux en 1950
© Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt
