The granddaughters of Adalbert (“Bela”) and Hilda Parlagi have recovered one of seven artworks seized from the couple by the Nazi Germans in 1940.
Helen Lowe and Francoise Parlagi received on Wednesday “Bord de Mer,” a 7×11-inch pastel by Claude Monet dated approximately 1865. The work on paper shows a rocky beach set against the cool blues of the ocean and sky.
After more than 80 years of disappearance, the FBI’s Art Crime Team began an investigation into the stolen pastel in 2021, finding a dealer had acquired it in 2017 before reselling it in 2019. When the buyers put the artwork for sale in 2023, the FBI recovered it.
James Dennehy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York City office, said in a statement that “while this Monet is undoubtedly valuable, its true worth lies in what it represents to the Parlagi family.”