US returns stolen Pissarro artwork to France

Thursday, 26 January 2012 13:41

NEW YORK: The United States returned an artwork by Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro to French authorities on Wednesday, more than three decades after it was stolen from the wall of a small museum in southeastern France.

The one-of-a-kind print, called "Le March aux Poissons," (Fish Market) was taken from the Faure Museum in Aix-les-Bains, France, in 1981 by a man identified by US authorities as Emile Guelton.

Four years later, Guelton, who was never charged with the theft, sold the piece, a print made from a painting and known as a monotype, through a gallery in San Antonio.

Sharyl Davis, an artist using space in the gallery at the time, decided to buy the marketplace scene, paying $8,500. Although she sought the advice of a Pissarro expert to confirm the work's authenticity, there was no indication to her at the time the work was stolen, US authorities and Davis said.

Davis displayed the work on the walls of her various homes over the years before deciding to sell it in 2003. She consigned it to Sotheby's, the New York auction house, which listed it with an estimated price range of $60,000 to $80,000.

After learning of the planned auction, French officials contacted their American counterparts to say they believed the work was stolen.

The auction was canceled.

Investigators from the US Attorney's Office and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement concluded the work was indeed stolen and subject to forfeiture.

The case went to trial after Davis maintained she was the legitimate owner. A jury ruled in the government's favor in January 2010, and a US appeals court upheld the judgment last June, rejecting Davis's claim that her legal fees be paid.