A pastel painting by French artist Edgar Degas has become the centre of a prolonged legal dispute over a Jewish couple's art collection looted by the Nazis in 1935.
asserted
painting → become → 1935
The work, titled Danseuses, belonged to Margret and Ludwig Kainer before it was seized and sold during the Nazi era.
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it → title → era
After passing through art dealers and galleries in the international art market, the painting was sold privately for $6 million in 2009 before fetching $10.7 million at a Christie's auction in New York.
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painting → pass → York
The couple's purported heirs have challenged the transactions, arguing that their inheritance rights were overlooked.
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rights → challenge → transactions
On June 4, 2026, a New York appellate court lifted a years-long pause on their lawsuit against Christie's, allowing the case to proceed.
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case → lift → Christie
Nazis looted the Degas painting in 1935
Danseuses was part of the art collection owned by Margret and Ludwig Kainer, a Jewish couple who left Germany in 1932 as the Nazi regime rose to power.
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regime → loot → power
In 1935, their collection, comprising more than 400 artworks, was looted by the Nazis and sold at an auction in Berlin on May 31 that year.
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collection → comprise → May
The Degas painting subsequently passed through the international art market, with its documented history including dealers and galleries in London and Japan.
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history → pass → London
Decades later, its ownership became the subject of a dispute involving the Kainers' purported heirs and a Swiss foundation that claimed rights to the family's assets.
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that → become → assets
Who inherited the Kainers' estate?
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Who → inherit → estate
Ludwig Kainer died before his wife.
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Kainer → die → wife
Margret died in France in 1968 without children or a will, leaving questions about who was legally entitled to her estate.
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who → die → estate
A Swiss foundation, Norbert Stiftung, later claimed rights to assets associated with the Kainer family.
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foundation → claim → family
Its position relied partly on a German certificate of partial inheritance issued in 1972.
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position → rely → 1972
People identifying themselves as Margret's heirs subsequently challenged the foundation's claim.
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People → identify → claim
They rely on French certificates of inheritance issued in 2012 and argue that they are the lawful successors to her estate.
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they → rely → estate
The purported heirs allege that UBS and its predecessors helped establish and control the foundation, which they say was wrongly treated as entitled to the family's assets.
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they → purport → assets
How the Degas painting sold for $10.7 million
In 2009, Christie's facilitated an agreement with Norbert Stiftung under which the foundation relinquished its claim to the painting in exchange for a share of the proceeds.
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foundation → sell → proceeds
The painting was sold privately for $6 million in November 2009, with the foundation receiving $1.8 million under the agreement.
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foundation → sell → agreement
Shortly afterwards, it was offered at Christie's auction in New York on November 3, 2009, where it fetched $10,722,500.
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it → offer → 10,722,500
The purported heirs argue that the transactions took place without their inheritance rights being properly recognised.
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rights → argue → place
They challenge the foundation's authority to relinquish its claim and have pursued legal action over the handling and sale of the painting.
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They → challenge → painting
Why the heirs sued Christie's
The purported heirs began legal proceedings in 2013 against UBS, Norbert Stiftung and Christie's.
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heirs → sue → UBS
Their case centres on whether the foundation had legitimate rights to the painting and whether the transactions excluded the people who say they inherited Margret's estate.
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they → centre → estate
The heirs contend that Christie's helped facilitate the sale despite questions surrounding the foundation's claim.
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Christie → contend → claim
Christie's has disputed the plaintiffs' position that they are the lawful heirs entitled to pursue the case.
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they → dispute → case
In 2017, a New York court dismissed the claims against UBS and the foundation on jurisdictional grounds and paused the proceedings against Christie's while inheritance-related proceedings in Europe continued.
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proceedings → dismiss → Europe
The dismissals against UBS and the foundation were subsequently upheld on appeal, while the case against Christie's remained on hold.
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case → uphold → hold
Why a New York court lifted the stay in 2026
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court → lift → 2026
On June 4, 2026, New York's Appellate Division, First Department, ruled that the stay on the case against Christie's should be lifted.
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stay → rule → Christie
The decision, published as Estate of Margaret Kainer v Christie's Inc., 2026 NY Slip Op 03506, reversed a lower court's 2025 order and sent the matter back for further proceedings.
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decision → publish → proceedings
The appellate court noted that the stay had lasted approximately nine and a half years.
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stay → note → ?
It expressed concern that further delays could make it increasingly difficult for the plaintiffs to reconstruct the events surrounding the 2009 transactions, particularly as some people involved had died or were elderly.
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people → express → transactions
The court also considered the lack of a clear timeline for the conclusion of the Swiss proceedings and the public interest in resolving claims involving Nazi-looted art fairly and without unnecessary delay.
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court → consider → delay
The painting is listed in the Degas catalogue raisonné as belonging to a private collection.
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painting → list → collection
Its current owner and exact location have not been publicly identified in the available records.
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owner → identify → records
Its documented history includes the Kainers' collection in Germany, the 1935 Nazi-era auction, subsequent dealings through the international art market and the multimillion-dollar transactions in 2009.
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history → document → 2009
What happens next in the legal battle?
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What → happen → battle
The case against Christie's can now move forward in the New York trial court, where the parties may seek evidence relating to the painting's ownership history and the 2009 transactions.
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parties → move → history
Key questions include whether the purported heirs are legally entitled to Margret Kainer's estate, whether Norbert Stiftung had authority to relinquish its claim to the painting, and whether Christie's bears legal responsibility in connection with the transactions.
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Christie → include → transactions
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