Dealer Sam Salz’s Heirs Accuse Stepmother of Selling Works from Estate

Thirty-five years after their father prominent 20th century art dealer Sam Salz died, two brothers are suing the estate of their stepmother for selling impressionist works from their father’s estate.

The brothers complain that the opaque art market is at fault. But the sales took place in 1988, 1995 and 2009. The first painting was sold in at auction.

Here’s DNAinfo’s take on the story:

Marc and Andre Salz say their stepmother, Janet Traeger-Salz, took at least three paintings from the estate of their father, Sam Salz, after he died in 1981. Those paintings, the sons claim in court papers, belonged to his estate and to them as heirs. The paintings in question are Monet’s “La Seine a Argenteuil,” Edgar Degas’ “Horses in a Meadow” and Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Still Life with Figs.” The sons say they believe Traeger-Salz sold the paintings at auctions and private sales in the 1990s and 2000s. Traeger-Salz died March 15, 2015 at 99. Traeger-Salz sold the Monet painting at an auction in 1988, according to the sons.

Our Stepmom Stole a Monet From Our Dad and We Want it Back, Sons Say (DNAinfo.com)