Auction Deals With Ethics of Auctioning Art Stolen by Nazis

Auction (Le Tableau volé) examines the art world and looks at the ethics of auctioning off artwork stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust.

Scottie’s auctioneer André Masson (Alex Lutz) learns that an Egon Schiele painting–missing since 1939–has been discovered in Mullhouse. Despite his skepticism, he deems it to be an authentic work. For anyone in the art world, this could be the biggest highlight of their career. To no surprise, he’s only thinking about himself and his career. Never mind the involvement of ex-wife Bertina (Léa Drucker) and intern Aurore (Louise Chevillotte).

The big question here is who is responsible for selling the painting. Martin Keller (Arcadi Radeff) penned the letter to André but the Wahlberg family rightfully owned it before the Nazis stole it. Should André advise Bob Wahlberg (Doug Rand) against accepting any low-ball offers? Is it within his right or should the Wahlberg family listen to their own attorneys? What if, G-d forbid, their attorney is working for the interested party as well! At the end of the day, the only thing concerning André are the dollar signs flashing in his head.

The film is based on a true story of a Schiele masterpiece previously stolen and discovered in 2005. The fact that André only cares about how much money he stands to make should be infuriating. Is this representative of the art world as a whole? But anyway, while there are plenty of comical moments in the film, it gets serious when addressing the painting’s history. As it should. What happened to Jewish-owned artwork during the Holocaust is not a laughing matter. Just ask Randy Schoenberg!

In as much as some characters in Auction focus on the dollar signs, there are those interested in doing the right thing. The Art Institute of Chicago could learn from them.

DIRECTOR: Pascal Bonitzer
SCREENWRITERS: Pascal Bonitzer, Iliana Lolic
CAST: Alex Lutz, Léa Drucker, Nora Hamzaoui, Louise Chevillotte, Arcadi Radeff, Laurence Côte, with Alain Chamfort and Olivier Rabourdin

Auction screened during the 2025 Miami Jewish Film Festival as a Special Presentation. Upcoming screenings include the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival. Menemsha Films will release the film at a later date. Grade: 3/5

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Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.

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