The FBI seizes disputed Picasso

A Picasso painting currently at the center of an ownership dispute has been seized by FBI agents in the Chicago residence of Marilyn Alsdorf, one of the parties in the dispute. The agency has seized the painting on the grounds that Alsdorf had unlawfully shipped it from Los Angeles, where an art dealer was exhibiting it for sale, to her Chicago home in 2002.

The circa-1922 painting, “Femme en Blanc” (Woman in White) is believed to have been stolen by the Nazis during World War II from the grandmother of Oakland-based heir Thomas Bennigson. The painting was purchased in 1975 by Chicago art collectors James and Marilyn Alsdorf before its tie to the Nazis was discovered. In 2002, Bennigson sued to have the painting returned to him.

Although the painting has been taken into U.S. custody, an FBI spokeswoman said Tuesday that the artwork will remain in Alsdorf’s residence until the courts can determine the rightful owner.