Heir of Jewish Collector Sues Guggenheim Over Picasso Painting

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York faces a lawsuit from Thomas Bennigson, heir of Karl Adler, a Jewish collector persecuted by Nazis. Bennigson demands the return of Picasso's "Woman Ironing" (1904), from the artist's Blue Period, or compensation of $100–200 million. The complaint, filed in New York Supreme Court, alleges the painting was sold under duress in 1938 to dealer Heinrich Thannhauser for a fraction of its value (around $1,500) due to Nazi persecution. Adler, chairman of Europe's leading leather goods company, and his wife were forced to liquidate assets to flee Germany. Thannhauser later lent the work to the Guggenheim in 1978, eventually donating it. The museum refuses restitution, stating its research shows no evidence Adler or his children considered the sale unjust. The painting lacks a label disclosing its Nazi-era provenance, as required by New York law. Bennigson is supported by other heirs and Jewish charities.