To the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza:
As you know, in 1939, Nazi Germany forced a woman named Lilly Cassirer to turn over a painting by famed impressionist artist Camille Pissaro to a Nazi appraiser in order to obtain a visa to leave the country.
To the Cassirer family, who were Jewish, getting out ot Nazi Germany before they became victims of the Holocaust was literally a matter of life or death. They had to give up the painting, "Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain," to save their lives.
Decades later, after passing through many hands, that same painting was purchased by your museum. The Cassirer family tried for 15 years to get it back when they discovered where the painting ended up. Recently, the United States District Court for the Central District of Los Angeles ruled -- quite reluctantly -- that under the law of Spain, the painting belongs to the museum.
This happened despite the fact that it was undisputed that the artwork was indeed looted from the Cassirer family by the Nazis.
We the undersigned urge you to do the right thing. Return the Pissaro painting to the Cassirer family. Failing to return artwork looted by the Nazis when you're fully aware of that fact is a morally bankrupt position. It's ethically wrong, even if it's legally permissible under the laws of Spain.
Give the Cassirer family the justice they deserve. Give back their Pissaro masterpiece.
