The FBI returned an original Monet artwork to the descendants of its rightful owners after it had been presumed lost for over 80 years to Nazi looters. The artwork, titled “Bord de Mer,” depicts a beach in Normandy, France, and is one of Monet’s earlier works.
The repatriation ceremony took place at the FBI Field Office in New Orleans, where the surviving granddaughters of Adalbert and Hilda Parlagi, Helen Lowe and Françoise Parlagi, received the painting. The legal battle for ownership was settled in the Eastern District Court for the state of Louisiana, with the Schlamp family graciously relinquishing their right to the artwork.
The Parlagi family originally purchased the Monet painting for their personal collection in Vienna before fleeing Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938. The artwork was seized by the German Gestapo and put up for sale in 1941 and 1942. The descendants of the Parlagi family held onto hope for over 80 years that the painting would be discovered.
Helen Lowe and Françoise Parlagi approached the Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE) in 2014 to help track down the painting. The detailed research provided by CLAE helped the FBI locate the artwork in New Orleans, where it had been purchased by the Schlamp family.
The granddaughters of Adalbert “Bela” Parlagi expressed their joy and disbelief at the discovery and repatriation of their grandfather’s artwork. The painting has been safely stored in the FBI New Orleans field office evidence locker during the investigation.
The story of “Bord de Mer” has come full circle, from a shipping container in a Viennese warehouse in 1938 to a room in New Orleans today. The granddaughters, along with CLAE co-chair Anne Webber, will receive a private tour of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans to commemorate the occasion.
The Monet painting will now be in the possession of Lowe and Parlagi, bringing closure to a long and emotional journey for the Parlagi family.
