Firm News
Partner Jonathan Freiman Quoted in Connecticut Magazine on the Battle for One of Van Gogh’s Most Famous Paintings
On January 27, 2022, Partner Jonathan Freiman was quoted in Connecticut Magazine‘s article titled, “The battle for Van Gogh’s ‘The Night Café,’ the most valuable painting in Connecticut.” The article discusses the journey of one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous pieces, Le café de nuit (The Night Café), from Van Gogh’s studio through pre-Soviet Russia, ultimately to the Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG). It has been one of the gallery’s main attractions since it was given to the gallery in 1961.
The article relates how in 2008, YUAG director Jock Reynolds received a letter from a French citizen of Russian heritage named Pierre Konowaloff, claiming that he was the rightful owner of the painting, demanding that it be given to him, and threatening legal action. Yale then filed a lawsuit against Konowaloff, asking a federal court to determine who owned the painting. Freiman led the Wiggin team representing Yale, which won in the trial court and the court of appeals. Konowaloff’s request that the U.S. Supreme Court review the decisions was rejected.
Freiman recalls early efforts to resolve the dispute, noting that at a meeting with Konowaloff’s lead counsel, “We discussed different ways of honoring the Konowaloff family’s role in the history of the painting. But despite our efforts, that didn’t work, so in the end we needed the court to resolve the dispute.”
Yale’s title to The Night Café was confirmed in 2016. As Freiman notes in the article, “The Night Café is a timeless masterpiece that the public can see free of charge and Yale has worked to make sure it stays that way.”
To read the full article, click here.
