LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A California woman will ask the U.S.Supreme Court Wednesday to help her recover millions of dollars worth of Nazi plunder she claims belongs to her.
Maria Altmann, formerly of Austria and now 88 and living in Los Angeles, is seeking to regain six paintings worth an estimated $110 million, now held by Austria's National Gallery. She is asking the Supreme Court to allow her to sue the Austrian government in U.S. federal court, USA Today said.
The works, once owned by Altmann's uncle, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, include a well-known portrait of his wife, Adele Bloch-Bauer, by Austrian master Gustav Klimt.
Sixty-six years ago, the Nazis forced Altmann's uncle to forfeit the paintings to pay a tax aimed at Jewish art owners. But Austria's government-owned gallery says it acquired the works in 1948 as a gift from Altmann's brother.
If Altmann wins, legal analysts say, it could open the door to multimillion-dollar lawsuits against national galleries around the world.
