(Download) "Erna Menzel v. Albert A. List" by Court of Appeals of New York * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Erna Menzel v. Albert A. List
- Author : Court of Appeals of New York
- Release Date : January 26, 1969
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 56 KB
Description
[24 N.Y.2d 91 Page 93] In 1932 Mrs. Erna Menzel and her husband purchased a painting by Marc Chagall at an auction in Brussels, Belgium, for 3,800 Belgian francs (then equivalent to about $150). When the Germans invaded Belgium in 1940, the Menzels fled and left their possessions, including the Chagall painting, in their apartment. They returned six years later and found that the painting had been removed by the German authorities and that a receipt for the painting had been left. The location of the painting between the time of its removal by the Germans in 1941 and 1955 is unknown. In 1955 Klaus Perls and his wife, the proprietors of a New York art gallery, purchased the Chagall from a Parisian art gallery for $2,800. The Perls knew nothing of the painting's previous history and made no inquiry concerning it, being content to rely on the reputability of the Paris gallery as to authenticity and title. In October, 1955 the Perls sold the painting to Albert List for $4,000. However, in 1962, Mrs. Menzel noticed a reproduction [24 N.Y.2d 91 Page 94]