Romanian Prince Sues Christie’s Over Alleged Nazi-Looted El Greco Painting

By: Fern Sidman

A legal battle over a $9 million El Greco masterpiece has erupted in a Manhattan Federal Court, where Paul Philippe of Romania, the grandson of the country’s last legitimate king, is fighting to reclaim a painting he alleges was stolen from his family by his Nazi-collaborating uncle. As The New York Post reported on Saturday, Prince Paul, who has spent decades attempting to secure his place as a rightful heir to Romania’s monarchy, has accused his uncle, King Michael I, of deceptively seizing family treasures and secretly storing them in Switzerland for decades.

The dispute centers around El Greco’s Saint Sébastien, a painting completed between 1610 and 1614, which was set to be auctioned by Christie’s this month. However, as The New York Post report detailed, the famed auction house withdrew the painting from sale after the Romanian government attempted to claim ownership, prompting a fierce counterclaim from Prince Paul, who argues that the government has no legitimate right to the artwork.

At the heart of the lawsuit is a complex and scandalous family feud, which The New York Post traced back to King Carol II, Romania’s last parliamentary-confirmed ruler.

King Carol II was forced into exile in 1940 after coming into conflict with Adolf Hitler and Romania’s pro-Nazi Prime Minister, Ion Antonescu.

Carol II had two sons: Prince Carol (Paul’s father) and King Michael. However, his eldest son was declared illegitimate after the king’s father annulled his first marriage, leaving Michael to assume the throne.

According to The New York Post, Michael ruled as a puppet king under Romania’s Soviet-controlled government, remaining in power for years under Communist influence.

This family rift, Prince Paul claims, was more than just a political dispute—it also involved an elaborate scheme to steal and hide royal family treasures.

According to the information provided in The New York Post report, Prince Paul alleged that King Michael used his ties with Nazi officials to secretly transport his family’s vast art collection out of Romania.

In November 1947, Michael orchestrated the secret transfer of Saint Sébastien and 41 other priceless works of art, including another El Greco masterpiece, Canon Bosio.

The paintings were reportedly loaded into two boxcars attached to the Orient Express and transported to Switzerland, where they were discreetly placed in vaults at UBS bank in Zurich.

To avoid suspicion Michael falsely claimed that the Communist regime had confiscated the family’s art collection, deceiving his own father, King Carol II, who lived the rest of his life believing the paintings had been lost, according to The New York Post report.

As was noted in Prince Paul’s lawsuit, this elaborate deception allowed Michael to maintain control over the artworks without facing scrutiny from Romanian authorities.

Prince Paul asserted that his uncle kept the stolen collection hidden until it was safe for him to gradually sell off the pieces, knowing that no one else had legal access to them. As The New York Post reported:

Michael never revealed the existence of the paintings until after his father, King Carol II, died in 1953.

The report in The New York Post indicated that by the time Princess Elena (Carol II’s wife) fell terminally ill in 1976, Michael felt confident enough to claim the collection as his own.

Prince Paul argues that his uncle’s actions were both fraudulent and treasonous, as he not only collaborated with Nazi officials but also betrayed his own family for personal financial gain.

The current legal battle erupted when Christie’s planned to sell Saint Sébastien, which had mysteriously resurfaced in recent years. However, as The New York Post reported, the Romanian government also tried to claim the painting, leading to its withdrawal from auction.

Prince Paul has adamantly rejected Romania’s claim, arguing that the artwork was never part of the state’s official collection but was instead stolen by Michael for personal enrichment.

In court filings, he accused Christie’s of facilitating the sale of stolen property, insisting that only the rightful heirs of King Carol II—not the Romanian government—should have a say in the painting’s fate.

As the report in The New York Post noted, Christie’s has yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit, but the case is now set to determine who truly owns one of El Greco’s masterpieces.

At the heart of the dispute is a shadowy art transaction from 1976, when Michael allegedly sold Saint Sébastien—along with another El Greco painting, Canon Bosio—to a New York art dealer, claiming the sale was authorized by the late king’s heirs. As The New York Post detailed, Prince Paul insists this was a lie, and that neither he nor his father were ever informed of the sale.

According to court documents reviewed by The New York Post, Prince Paul stated: “Had Prince Paul and his father known of the sale, they would have asserted their ownership rights, which would have either blocked the sale or forced Michael to share the proceeds.”

Instead, Michael sold both paintings without their knowledge, leaving the rightful heirs powerless to stop the transaction.

After acquiring the two El Greco paintings from Michael in 1976, the New York dealer quickly resold Saint Sébastien to an unknown buyer for an undisclosed sum.

The mysterious sale effectively erased the painting from public records for decades, making it nearly impossible for Prince Paul to track its whereabouts. For nearly 50 years, the painting’s location remained a mystery, until last week, when Christie’s withdrew it from auction after the Romanian government attempted to claim it as state property.

It was this sudden development that led Prince Paul to take legal action, as The New York Post reported. His attorney, Edward Griffith, explained: “Prince Paul has not previously tried to recover Saint Sébastien for Carol II’s estate because he didn’t know where it was until last week’s press reports that Christie’s had withdrawn the painting from auction after the Romanian government asserted a claim.”

This discovery has rekindled a decades-old dispute, with Prince Paul now fighting to block the painting from leaving New York before its true ownership is decided.

As The New York Post report detailed, King Carol II—who once possessed a collection of nine El Greco masterpieces—was forced into exile in 1940 after falling out with Adolf Hitler and Romania’s Nazi-aligned government. The king spent the rest of his life moving between European cities, ultimately settling in Portugal, where he died in 1953.

His son, King Michael I, remained in Romania under Soviet influence, eventually abdicating the throne in 1947 after the country fell under Communist control. Michael lived until 2017, passing away at age 96, but his alleged betrayal of his father’s legacy has now resurfaced in Prince Paul’s legal battle.

Michael hid his father’s art collection for years, even allowing Carol II to believe it had been confiscated by Communist forces, according to The New York Post report. This deception allowed Michael to retain control of the collection, and in 1976, he liquidated two of its most valuable pieces—including Saint Sébastien—without consulting his father’s legitimate heirs.