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By Carlie Porterfield

The event was scheduled to mark the 25th anniversary of the Washington Principles, which helps guide the return of artwork looted during the Holocaust.

UPDATE 4 July: After this story was published, Christie's responded with the following statement: "We respect the Tel Aviv Museum of Art’s decision to cancel the long-planned programme on restitution, scheduled to take place at the museum in December. Christie’s global series of year-long events in our Reflecting on Restitution programme has been planned over the past few years in collaboration with many organisations and individuals to mark the 25th anniversary of the Washington Principles, and we believe deeply in its goal of bringing together historians, researchers, scholars, legal experts, families, artists and many others touching the world of restitution in cities all over the world to share and discuss important stories, ideas and perspectives. These exchanges and public discourse are vital to encourage greater awareness and understanding of the complex issues relating to the restitution of Nazi-looted art and the essential work being done in this field." Regarding Marc Porter's relationship with the museum, a spokesperson says: "“There is no one more engaged and respected in the restitution field, or more passionate about advancing the important work that must be done to expand it globally, than Marc Porter, whose devotion has been a lifelong pursuit, evidenced by the public record. We reject the suggestion that there is any conflict of interest in Marc Porter’s role at Christie’s and his support of the American Friends of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Marc was not involved in the planning of the restitution programme at the Tel Aviv museum."

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art has called off an event with Christie’s focused on art looted by Nazis during the Second World War after outcry over the auction house’s recent sale of jewellery that once belonged to the wife of a German businessman who profited from Jewish people fleeing Nazi persecution.

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art told Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom this week it cancelled a conference with Christie’s scheduled for December 2023 after backlash, saying the institution was “attentive to criticism and committed to public sensitivity”.

Christie’s has come under fire in recent months after the auction house announced the sale of late art collector Heidi Horten’s jewellery collection, which was estimated to bring in a nine-figure sum and eclipse actress Elizabeth Taylor’s $116m

record for the most expensive collection of jewellery ever sold at auction. Horten inherited nearly $1bn after the death of her first husband, Helmut Horten, who made a fortune in retail in part by taking over Jewish department stores for sometimes below-market prices during the “Aryanisation” of Germany, when Jewish peoples’ property was seized and handed over to gentiles. Christie’s went ahead with the sales despite outcry from Jewish groups, and Horten’s collection fetched a record $202m over two sales earlier this year. Horten died last year, aged 81.

The planned Tel Aviv Museum of Art event was part of a year-long initiative by Christie’s to mark the 25th anniversary of the Washington Principles, a set of international guidelines that help determine the restitution of artwork looted by Nazis during the Second World War. The conference had been planned before the announcement of the Horten sale and the ensuing uproar, according to the museum.

Last week, the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA sent a letter to the US-based fundraising organisation Tel Aviv Museum of Art American Friends calling for the Christie’s event to be cancelled because it would serve as a platform for “Holocaust profiteers to justify their plunder and marginalise Holocaust survivors around the world”, according to the Jerusalem Post . Critics also raised concerns about conflicts of interest regarding Christie's chairman for the Americas Marc Porter, who is also a board member of the Tel Aviv Museum’s American Friends group.

Christie’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The auction house previously said that it would make “a significant contribution” from the Horten collection sales to organisations focused on Holocaust research and education. Israel's official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, reportedly declined a donation from Christie’s because of the source of the funds, according to the Jerusalem Post.