The portrait that resurfaced, but never came home
A stolen Degas returned to the art market while its owner’s heirs continued searching.
Paul Rosenberg moved this pastel from Paris to his temporary home in Floirac as war approached. In September 1940 German authorities seized the works there after informants disclosed their location.
The pastel passed through the Nazi looting apparatus and entered the art trade. Dealer Mathias Hans brokered a sale to a Swiss collector in 1974. In 1987 the Rosenberg family recognised it in a dealer’s catalogue.
This is not a work unseen since the war. Postwar appearances are documented, but the heirs have not recovered it. The precise present whereabouts and identity of its holder remain undisclosed to them.
Monuments Men and Women Foundation
Scheduled program end: 2026-12-31
Offer advertised by an official source
Reward details & conditions
Up to US$7,500 is currently advertised for this specific work under the WWII Most Wanted Art program. New, non-public information must be submitted directly to the Foundation and lead to physical and legal recovery by the owner. Payment is conditional, may be shared and is determined by the Foundation. This is not a guaranteed payment or an offer by ArtTraceX. The program is scheduled to end on 31 December 2026, unless ended earlier.
Payment and eligibility are governed by the reward provider’s conditions.Artwork Details & DocumentationIdentification, ownership history and supporting records
Portrait of Mlle. Gabrielle Diot
- Artwork title
- Portrait of Mlle. Gabrielle DiotMonuments Men and Women Foundation ↗ · checked
- Maker / attribution
- Edgar DegasMonuments Men and Women Foundation ↗ · checked
- Materials & technique
- PastelMonuments Men and Women Foundation ↗ · checked
- Measurements
- 61 × 43 cm (24.02 × 16.93 in.), as listed by the FoundationMonuments Men and Women Foundation ↗ · checked
- Creation date / period
- 1890Monuments Men and Women Foundation ↗ · checked
Not documented in this record: object type · inscriptions & markings · distinguishing features · subject.
Documented ownership history
- 1940
Seized from Paul Rosenberg’s temporary home in Floirac.
Monuments Men and Women Foundation ↗ · checked - 1974
Only stages supported by the cited sources are shown. This list is not a complete chain of ownership.
Record sources
Identification details follow the Object ID categories where documented. Ownership history is recorded separately; this documentation is not an authentication or a certificate of ownership.
Documentary sources
- Monuments Men and Women Foundation — Portrait of Mlle. Gabrielle Diot (1890) ↗
- Edgar Degas catalogue raisonné — Gabrielle Diot, MS1516 ↗
An original ArtTraceX synthesis. Sources checked .