Kunsthaus Zürich Reaches Restitution Agreement for Monet Painting, Will Sell Work
The Facts
On June 5, 2024, the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, the patron association of the Kunsthaus Zürich, agreed with the heirs of Jewish industrialist and art collector Carl Sachs on a “just and fair solution” for Claude Monet’s “L’Homme à l’ombrelle” (1865/1867). The painting, which entered the Kunsthaus on loan in 1934, will be sold under the terms of the amicable agreement. Sachs was forced to sell the work under duress after fleeing Nazi Germany for Switzerland in 1939, with the sale occurring just weeks after his emigration to provide living funds. The agreement is part of the museum’s proactive provenance strategy, adopted in March 2023, which commits to researching and resolving cases of cultural property confiscated due to Nazi persecution, including sales by emigrants in third countries.
The Signal
The resolution signals a significant institutional commitment to transparency and restitution at Switzerland’s largest art museum, setting a precedent for other Swiss collections that held works sold under duress during the Nazi era. The museum’s share of the sale proceeds will be transferred to its collection fund, per ICOM ethical guidelines. This case, researched by the Kunsthaus’s expanded provenance team led by Joachim Sieber, underscores a broader trend of European museums actively revisiting wartime transfers even when sales occurred outside occupied territories.
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