Gallery sued over 'stolen' portrait
The National Gallery in London is being sued by the grandchildren of Matisse's muse over a painting they claim was stolen in the aftermath of World War 2.The grandchildren - Oliver Williams, Margaret Green and Iris Filmer - accuse the gallery of displaying an oil painting of their grandmother Greta Moll that rightfully belongs to them.The trio say the Helen Mirren film Woman in Gold - which depicts the struggle of Maria Altmann to reclaim a painting seized by the Nazis - shows such cases are legally sound.On Wednesday they launched legal proceedings in Manhattan, after five years of wrangling over the ownership of the painting.The case was brought in New York because, the plaintiffs argue, the gallery has commercial interests in the US.The lawsuit alleges the gallery did not properly investigate the painting's provenance.A National Gallery spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment.- The Daily Telegraph, London..
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