Early sales The painting was purchased by the International Art Center (IAC) at a 1996
Christie's auction in
London for £2 million. In 2008, the painting was put up for auction by
Sotheby's in New York, but no bids were made. The Nazis
took administration over the painting in 1941 and auctioned it off in 1944. Since then, Maestracci has filed multiple lawsuits in an attempt to recover the painting. Following a court decision in 2017, Maestracci has standing to continue with his 2014 lawsuit to reclaim the work. In the January 2020 edition of the Art Newspaper new evidence is referred to with respect to a 1950 document, which contains a photograph of the painting on one side and the words "stolen" and "Stettiner family" on the reverse. This new evidence is further proof that the
Seated Man With a Cane is the very same painting as the one stolen from Oscar Stettiner. In April 2026 the court ruled in favor of the Stettiner heirs and ordered that the Nahmads return the looted Modigliani. ==See also==