DETROIT — A Detroit federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit to seize an allegedly stolen painting by Vincent van Gogh from the Detroit Institute of Arts and give the artwork to its purported owner in Brazil.
U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh ruled that the DIA did not have to hand over "Liseuse De Romans," also known as "The Novel Reader" or "The Reading Lady," which it is temporarily displaying in an exhibition that ends Sunday. The judge ruled that the artwork is protected by a federal law granting immunity to foreign artwork on display in the United States.
"The Painting is immune from seizure pursuant to the Act, which prohibits the Court from issuing an injunction or entering any other order that would deprive the defendant of custody or control of the Painting," Steeh wrote in an 11-page decision. "Because the Court cannot grant the ultimate relief sought by plaintiff, the lawsuit will be dismissed."
