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French Pediatrician Concedes Inherited Pissarro Painting

The work by Pissarro, which depicts a shepherdess, on display at the University of Oklahoma in 2014. (AP)
The work by Pissarro, which depicts a shepherdess, on display at the University of Oklahoma in 2014. (AP)
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French Pediatrician Concedes Inherited Pissarro Painting

The work by Pissarro, which depicts a shepherdess, on display at the University of Oklahoma in 2014. (AP)
The work by Pissarro, which depicts a shepherdess, on display at the University of Oklahoma in 2014. (AP)

After a long, fierce judicial battle, Dr. Léone-Noëlle Meyer surprised art circles Wednesday, and conceded a painting by Camille Pissarro, leaving it to the University of Oklahoma.

Pissarro, one of the most prominent Neo-Impressionists, was born in 1830, in the Antillean Creole Islands, which was a Danish colony. He lived in France, and held its citizenship until his death in Paris, in 1903.

Léone-Noëlle Meyer, 81, is a renowned pediatrician in France, and an art curator. She was adopted as a child by Raoul Meyer, founder of Gallery Lafayette in Paris, and she inherited his fortune after his death.

Raoul had managed to flee to the United States after hiding the paintings he owned in a large metal safe. Like many other rich French Jews, his family's properties were looted in 1941, during the organized campaign launched by the Nazi occupation forces. Many valuable artworks were taken to Germany at the time, and Pissarro's painting titled "Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep" was among them.

After the end of the war, and the liberation of Paris in 1945, Raoul returned to Europe, and sought to recover his properties. He managed to locate many of them, but the place of the disputed painting remained unknown.

"I decided to concede all my rights in the painting, including the right to property," Léone-Noëlle Meyer said in a statement, adding that she led a long battle in the United States, and France because her father worked hard to recover the painting throughout his life. But the artistic circles in France didn't understand the reasons behind the surprising decision, and many were disappointed as the disputed painting was supposed to be displayed at Musée d'Orsay for modern art, in Paris.

Pissarro drew the painting in 1886; it was owned by Raoul before it was looted from his house.

In 1951, the painting appeared in Switzerland, and he rushed to claim it. However, the Swiss courts rejected the lawsuit, saying the five-year term to claim looted properties ended. In 1957, the painting remerged in the United States, this time with a New York-based gallery owner involved in previous cases related to paintings stolen from Jewish houses.

The painting was also owned by a US couple from Oklahoma, who decided to donate their art collection, in 2000, to the University of Oklahoma's Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

In 2012, Léone-Noëlle found a picture of the painting online, and went to courts to recover it. But the journey was long, and after years of legal disputes, the two parties agreed that the French pediatrician is the owner of the painting, but it shall be exchanged every three years between Paris and Oklahoma. The judge also forced the heiress to waive the painting before she dies to a decent art foundation that preserves valuable artworks.

The painting was set to be displayed first at the Musée d'Orsay, but its curators hid it, and refused the exchange between two continents.

The University of Oklahoma refused leaving the painting to Paris, and went to court. In February, an American judge requested Léone-Noëlle to drop the lawsuit, or to pay a $3 million fine. But she refused to back down.

The French court decided to put the painting under judicial custody. Then, Léone-Noëlle decided suddenly to concede the painting, which will be returned to the US in July. According to the heiress' lawyer, the University of Oklahoma can now do whatever it wants with the artwork.

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NEOM Nature Reserve Reintroduces Six Animal Species

NEOM is working to rebuild self-sustaining ecosystems through habitat rehabilitation, species recovery, and cutting-edge ecological monitoring - SPA
NEOM is working to rebuild self-sustaining ecosystems through habitat rehabilitation, species recovery, and cutting-edge ecological monitoring - SPA
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NEOM Nature Reserve Reintroduces Six Animal Species

NEOM is working to rebuild self-sustaining ecosystems through habitat rehabilitation, species recovery, and cutting-edge ecological monitoring - SPA
NEOM is working to rebuild self-sustaining ecosystems through habitat rehabilitation, species recovery, and cutting-edge ecological monitoring - SPA

As part of its bold rewilding strategy, NEOM has reintroduced more than 1,100 animals across six species to its expansive Nature Reserve—an important milestone in its broader mission to restore the region’s natural balance. With 95% of the region’s land preserved for nature, NEOM is working to rebuild self-sustaining ecosystems through habitat rehabilitation, species recovery, and cutting-edge ecological monitoring.

According to NEOM, when the Arabian Oryx was first reintroduced into the Nature Reserve in December 2022, it marked a milestone occasion, signifying the first time the animal had walked the sands of north-western Saudi Arabia for nearly 100 years, SPA reported.

In the early 1970s, the Oryx was extinct in the wild due to hunting and poaching, but conservation efforts across the region have seen its numbers swell in recent years, with more than 208 now calling NEOM home. Perfectly adapted to the region’s desert conditions, its white coat reflects the sun, while its complex nasal system cools the air it breathes and conserves water by recycling moisture as it exhales.

Another member of the Bovidae family, Arabian Sand Gazelles are petite, graceful animals that typically reside in sand dunes and coastal flats across the Arabian Peninsula. Gazelles are swift creatures, clocking speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour in short bursts.

They are herbivores, and while NEOM’s regreening initiative continues to develop – with 4.7 million trees, shrubs, and grasses planted to date – the 530 Arabian Sand Gazelles currently residing in the reserve benefit from the natural vegetation that has returned to the area, following the removal of heavy livestock grazing. NEOM is also home to 223 Arabian Gazelles, which are typically darker in color and harder to find, preferring to reside in foothills and rugged mountain terrain.

Desert-dwelling wild goats can be found in NEOM’s rocky, mountainous terrain, and are typically recognized by their impressive arched horns. Males have backward-arched horns that can reach up to one meter in length, while females have much shorter horns and are lighter in color.

They are incredible climbers and have hooves with rubbery soles to act as suction cups on hard surfaces, aiding them in navigating steep cliffs to avoid predators, including wolves. NEOM has successfully reintroduced 53 Nubian Ibex to the reserve, adding to the population of several wild Ibex who have naturally returned to the area and are often caught on camera as part of NEOM’s monitoring program.

The red-necked ostrich, the largest and fastest living bird on earth, can stand up to 2.7 meters tall and weigh more than 150 kilograms. Their eggs are the largest of any living animal, measuring up to 15 centimeters long and up to 1.4 kilograms in weight. The bird gets its namesake from the fact that males have a reddish hue on their neck, especially in breeding season, when they perform an elaborate courtship display to attract females.

Currently, 27 chicks have been raised in NEOM Nature Reserve, which are well adapted to the region’s climate and feed on seeds, grass, leaves, and occasionally small insects or animals. Their strong legs allow them to run up to 70 kilometers per hour and, despite their size, red-necked ostriches are flightless.

Furthermore, the Lanner Falcon, last spotted in the wild in Saudi Arabia more than four decades ago, was reintroduced to NEOM Nature Reserve earlier this year in a momentous occasion. Known for its speed and agility, the Lanner Falcon can dive at speeds of more than 320 kilometers per hour. It has a striking appearance, with dark markings on its chest and belly, and a distinctive black moustache mark across its white face.

The release of Lanner Falcons into Bajdah at NEOM Nature Reserve forms part of a rewilding partnership between NEOM and the Saudi Falcon Club (SFC), which aims to reintroduce native falcon species within the Kingdom.