The New York Times has a long story on the Wildenstein case that takes quite a while to get to anything good. But near the end, we learn about the real stakes in this battle beyond the grave between Daniel Wildenstein’s widow and his son, Guy.

The issue is that Wildenstein has acted as more than an art dealer for many clients. They stored art in the Wildenstein vaults and trusted to Guy to administer their affairs. Except the recent discovery of works at Wildenstein has encouraged others to pursue their own claims:

Yves Rouart, nephew and heir of the art collector Anne-Marie Rouart, has been battling the Wildensteins  in the French courts for years for the return of artworks from her collection after Mrs. Rouart’s death in 1993.  She donated part of her collection and property to the Académie des Beaux-Arts,  on the advice of Daniel Wildenstein.   But she left her luxury apartment in Neuilly-sur-Seine,  with its furnishings, to Mr. Rouart. His legal pursuit began when he claimed to have discovered that as many as 40 paintings  —  including works by Degas, Manet and the Morisot painting of the Normandy cottage — were removed from the walls during the settlement of  her estate. Continue Reading