Includes Works by Goya, Rembrandt, and El Greco
Previous Lawsuits Over Access to the Ch?teau
A legal battle is underway within the world-renowned Jewish banking dynasty, the Rothschild family, over the family’s vast privately held art collection.
According to the British daily The Guardian on December 14 (local time), the litigants are Nadine de Rothschild (93), wife of Edmond de Rothschild-one of the heirs to the Rothschild family-and her daughter-in-law, Ariane de Rothschild. The dispute centers on Ch?teau de Pregny, located on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The ch?teau is said to house an extensive collection of furniture, historical artifacts, and paintings. However, the exact scale and types of items in the collection have never been publicly disclosed, as access to the ch?teau is strictly controlled.
Those who have visited the ch?teau have described it as a "mini Louvre." The collection reportedly includes high-end French furniture from the era of Louis XVI, works by the 19th-century Spanish painter Goya, Baroque master Rembrandt, 18th-century French artist Fragonard, Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco, and Rococo painter Boucher, among others.
Nadine claims that her late husband Edmond, who died in 1997, bequeathed a significant portion of the collection to her. She hopes to establish a new museum in Geneva, Switzerland, to exhibit these works. In contrast, her daughter-in-law Ariane, who serves as Chairwoman of the financial institution Edmond de Rothschild Group specializing in private banking, insists that the artworks should remain preserved at Ch?teau de Pregny. Ariane believes it is important for the collection to be kept intact in one location.
The two sides have previously engaged in several lawsuits. Ariane filed a lawsuit to prevent Nadine from using Edmond’s name for her own foundation but lost the case. They also litigated over whether Nadine had the right to access Ch?teau de Pregny; in this case, Ariane prevailed, resulting in Nadine losing her legal right to enter the ch?teau.
Nadine stated, "Many items inherited from my husband remain at Ch?teau de Pregny, but after my son’s death, it became impossible to reclaim them," explaining that she had no other choice but to pursue legal action. She also acknowledged that she had not fulfilled her role as a mother to her only son, Benjamin de Rothschild, who was also Ariane’s husband. Benjamin passed away in 2021.
In response, Ariane’s side argued, "Nadine only asserted her claim to ownership of the collection after her son’s death," contending that Nadine’s claim is not valid.
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