The Art Institute of Chicago announced it will return Jean Metzinger's 1913 painting Woman With a Fan to the heirs of Jewish collector Emmanuel Lewenstein after provenance research confirmed the work was sold under duress during the 1940 Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Infrared imaging revealed Paul Citroen's name on the back of the canvas, linking the painting to the Lewenstein Collection. The museum, working with Mondex Corporation, has removed the work from display and is arranging its transfer to the heirs.
Art Institute of Chicago to Return 1913 Metzinger Painting to Heirs After Nazi-Era Forced Sale
The Art Institute of Chicago in 2022Credit: Raymond Boyd/Getty
The Art Institute of Chicago announced on Sept. 22 that it will restitute Jean Metzinger's 1913 painting Woman With a Fan to the heirs of Emmanuel Lewenstein after new provenance research confirmed the work was sold under duress during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
Background: Metzinger (1883–1956) painted Woman With a Fan in Paris. Emmanuel Lewenstein acquired the painting from artist Paul Citroen in 1928. Following Lewenstein's death, his widow is believed to have transferred the canvas and other works to Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum. In October 1940 — months after the German invasion — the painting was sold at auction in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation.
'Woman with Fan' (1913) by Jean MetzingerCredit: 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Provenance Discovery: The Art Institute acquired the painting in 1959 after a donation from Mr. and Mrs. Sigmund Kunstadter. Years of provenance research continued, but a recent exchange of records with Mondex Corporation, combined with technical imaging, produced the decisive link. Infrared imaging revealed Paul Citroen's name penciled on the back of the canvas, which enabled researchers to connect the museum's painting to the Lewenstein Collection for the first time.
'This return reflects our commitment to take decisive action when new research clarifies the provenance of a work,' said Dr. Jacques Schuhmacher, Executive Director of Provenance Research at the Art Institute of Chicago. He credited the collaboration and shared research with Mondex for making the restitution possible.
Next Steps: The museum has removed Woman With a Fan from public display and is coordinating with the Lewenstein heirs to transfer the work. Mondex Corporation, a Toronto-based firm that specializes in recovering art looted or sold under duress during the Holocaust, assisted in tracing the painting's path through Europe and North America.
'It is gratifying to see this painting returned to the Lewenstein family heirs, and the Art Institute of Chicago is to be congratulated for being an invaluable partner in making this return a reality,' said Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, counsel for Mondex and a key architect of the 1998 Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and the 2009 Terezin Declaration.
The Art Institute's action is part of a broader international effort to identify and restitute artworks that were stolen, confiscated or sold under duress during the Holocaust era. Credit: 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.
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