Nazi Art Hoard Challenge

A Dutch court decided not to sequester a valuable collection of paintings returned last year to the heir of the Jewish Amsterdam art dealer, Jacques Goudstikker, who died in 1940 while fleeing the Nazis. The court did however order Marei von Saher to provide a bank guarantee for almost 8 million euros to her former lawyer, Roelof van Holthe tot Echten, by March 2 and to make a pre-payment of 1.9 million euros. Van Holthe tot Echten had applied for the paintings - reported by the Dutch media to be worth anything up to 100 million euros - to be sequestered. He charged that Von Saher, the widow of Goudstikker's son Edo, had reneged on an agreement to pay him some 12 million euros in exchange for the legal advice he gave her during her quest to have the paintings restored to her by the Dutch state. Following the ruling, Van Holthe tot Echten expressed satisfaction, saying that he had spent much of the past nine years on the Goudstikker case. In February last year, the Dutch government decided to restore to Von Saher 202 paintings that had formed a substantial part of the art dealer's collection when he fled Amsterdam in 1940. Many of the paintings - a prime collection from the "golden" 17th century of Dutch art and other works - came into the hands of Nazi leader Hermann Goering and were returned to the Netherlands after World War II. They were held by Dutch art galleries and museums until Culture Secretary Medy van der Laan complied with a recommendation from the Restitution Commission, set up in 2002 to look into art looted by the Nazis, for them to be returned. The dispute between Von Saher and Van Holthe tot Echten was complicated by the fact that he was to be paid under a "no-win, no-fee" deal, which is not allowed in the Netherlands. The deal is reported to have guaranteed Van Holthe tot Echten and his partner, Dick Schonis, 39.5 per cent of the value of the paintings in equal shares. Schonis settled for 2.6 million euros, but Van Holthe tot Echten declined the 1.3 million Von Saher offered him. The paintings are currently being held by a Dutch institute awaiting collection by Von Saher. (For full source and article click the Headline) Irish Art