With some hype surrounding the release of the movie “The Monuments Men,” a few works in Sotheby’s upcoming Important Old Master Paintings and Sculpture sale are getting some extra attention. While the works themselves are not exactly “highlights” of the sale, they certainly have quite an interesting provenance and represent a heroic effort to rescue stolen art. Of the 233 lots up for sale, 3 of them are pieces that were stolen or confiscated by Nazis during World War II and were then recovered by the same men who are depicted in the upcoming film. The works include a 15th-century panel by Apollonio di Giovanni (est. $150-200K) and a Jean-Baptiste Peter ($300-500K), which were taken from the French branch of the Rothschild banking dynasty. The third, a painting of Venice by Francesco Guardi ($200-300K), was stolen from the widow of French banker Andre Louis-Hirsch. The works will be on display at Sotheby’s New York beginning tomorrow, January 25th, and the sale will take place on January 30th.
