Jewish family sues Guggenheim Museum seeking return of Picasso painting

A Jewish family has filed a lawsuit against the world-famous Guggenheim Museum in New York City, seeking the repatriation of an iconic Picasso painting that they allege was sold by their family during World War II to escape Nazi Germany in 1938.

As reported by the UPI, the lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court on January 27 by the heirs of Karl Adler and Rosi Jacobi, according to court documents obtained by the publication.

The couple needed a large amount of cash to flee to Argentina from Europe at the start of the Second World War, so they sold the Picasso painting for around $1,552 to Justin Thannhauser, the son of Munich gallery owner, Heinrich Thannhauser, from whom Adler had purchased the painting from years prior.

Responding to the lawsuit, the Guggenheim Museum told CNN that the sale of the painting to Thannhuaser represented a "fair transaction", therefore the museum was the rightful owner of the famed work.

The lawsuit comes against the backdrop that institutions and governments around the world work to repatriate work looted from other countries during eras of colonialization, including art stolen by Nazis during World War II.