Pierre Konowaloff, descendant of Russian collector Ivan Morozov whose property was nationalized in the early 20th century, has lost his final battle to have Vincent van Gogh’s The Night Cafe returned.
In 1933 the work was sold by the Soviet government to a Berlin gallery. The painting finally ended up in the collection of Stephen Clark and was bequeathed to Yale University (who has owned it since 1961). After years of fighting, the case finally ended up in the US Supreme Court which upheld earlier decisions which cited the “act of state doctrine”. For more on the story, click HERE.
