Setback for Heirs in Long-Running Nazi Art Restitution Case

The heirs of a woman who surrendered a painting to the Nazis have lost a legal battle against a Spanish museum over ownership. The ruling, in a long-running Nazi restitution case, concerns a Camille Pissarro painting worth millions of dollars. The painting was given up by Lilly Cassirer, a Jewish woman, in 1939 to obtain an exit visa from Germany. A US Court of Appeals panel ruled that Spanish law applies and the museum has ownership rights. The Cassirer family plans to seek further review, arguing that Spain should not harbor Nazi looted art.