In the summer of 2015, Le Sacré Coeur au Printemps by Maxime Emile Louis Maufra was stolen from a home in Salisbury, Connecticut. Within months, the painting was discovered being offered for sale at Fairfield Auction, just 65 miles away.
Whilst the painting is not considered a major masterpiece, it holds a great deal of sentimental value to the Drew family, based between Salisbury, CT and York, England. Sisters Bettina and Allison Drew had previously inherited the painting from their father with the request that they find a way to share it.
When offered for sale at Fairfield Auction, Le Sacré Coeur au Printemps attracted considerable interest and was eventually bought by a private individual based in France. The painting was days from being shipped outside of the United States when Jack Destories, owner of Fairfield Auction, agreed to halt the sale pending further investigation.
The Drew family contacted Art Recovery Group in order to liaise with law enforcement, the auction house, and the possessor who claimed to have acquired the painting at a swap shop located on the premises of the Salisbury Waste Transfer Station.
Within just four weeks, negotiations provided an unconditional release of the painting to the Drew family who took possession just in time for the holidays.
Le Sacré Coeur au Printemps by Maxime Emile Louis Maufra
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