In the case of a looted work, it is common for the dispute to involve two families who do not know each other and who both have legitimate rights to the work.
One is the heir of the artist or former owner who was looted, the other is the heir of a collector who may have legitimately purchased the work from a gallery after the Second World War.
These two people have no interest in bringing their dispute, which has not yet arisen at this time, before a court of law where they risk losing one of their rights and the other the work which must be sold quickly to a buyer who will refuse to take a risk.
The gallery owner and the artist cannot afford to bring their dispute to the public arena either, one in order to preserve his reputation, the other, his aura and his rating.
In any case, a quick and discreet agreement is in everyone’s interest.