The original owner's bereaved family sued for the return of the painting, saying that it was forced to sell due to persecution by Nazi Germany over the ownership of Van Gogh's masterpiece "Sunflower" owned by Sompo Holdings, a major non-life insurance company. was filed in an American court.
In response to this, Sompo said, "There is no doubt about the legitimacy of the ownership," and made it clear that they would fully defend the ownership of "Himawari."
In 1987, Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance, the predecessor of Sompo Holdings, won a successful bid for Van Gogh's masterpiece Sunflower for approximately 5.3 billion yen.
According to a complaint filed last month in a federal district court in Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, the plaintiffs are three family members and heirs of German-Jewish bankers who, in 1934, persecuted by Nazi Germany forced the Sunflowers. It is said that he was forced to sell it.
The three said, ``I bought the work knowing that it was stolen by the Nazis, and obtained unfair commercial profits.'' We are asking for a payment of 100 billion yen.
In response to this, Sompo said that it had not received a formal complaint, and said, "It was officially purchased through an auction 35 years ago, so there is no doubt about the legitimacy of the ownership." He made it clear that he would fully defend his property rights.