A painting by renowned French Impressionist artist Alfred Sisley that was stolen by the Nazis during World War II is now on public display at the Château-Musée de Dieppe in Normandy, France. The artwork, titled "La Seine à Bougival" (The Seine at Bougival), painted in 1873, was hung in the museum on November 21, 2025, as part of the ongoing effort to reunite looted artworks with their rightful owners.
The painting showcases Sisley's characteristic sensitive and discreet Impressionist style, according to Pauline Le Jossic, deputy director of the museum. "It emanates great serenity, with this play of reflections in the sky and water," Le Jossic noted. The entire team at the Château-Musée de Dieppe was buzzing with excitement as they received this new addition to their Impressionist paintings gallery.
Beyond its artistic beauty and Sisley's renowned reputation, the painting's historical significance makes it particularly remarkable. The artwork is part of a collection of works looted by the Nazi regime during World War II and later recovered by Allied forces. It carries the designation MNR (Musées Nationaux Récupération), a classification given in the 1950s to 2,200 artworks that were found in Germany and returned to France.
Pierre Ickowicz, the museum's curator, explained that the Dieppe museum currently houses eight MNR works. "Initially, these MNR artworks were distributed among national museums, then in a second phase to regional museums to contribute to the presentation effort so that they could be recognized by rightful heirs," he said. The Sisley painting had been previously stored in the reserves of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
However, the painting's stay at the Dieppe museum is not permanent. Specialists continue to search for the artwork's original owners, and when they are located, the painting will be returned to them. This reflects the museum's commitment to historical justice and the restitution of stolen cultural heritage.
The Dieppe museum has previous experience with such restitutions. In 2022 and 2024, the museum participated in returning two other looted artworks: "Tempête en mer" (Storm at Sea), a 17th-century Dutch painting, and "Les Péniches" (The Barges), another painting by Alfred Sisley from 1870. The latter work had remained at Dieppe for 41 years before being returned to its rightful owners.
Véronique Sénécal, deputy mayor, along with the museum staff, expressed their pleasure in welcoming the Sisley canvas to their collection, even if temporarily. The public will have ample time to visit the Château-Musée de Dieppe and admire "La Seine à Bougival" while the search for its owners continues.
The museum team announced that the artwork will be featured prominently next year. On February 28, Anne Robbins, a curator from the Musée d'Orsay, will visit Dieppe to give a presentation about the painting. This educational component underscores the museum's commitment to not only displaying the artwork but also sharing its complex history with visitors, highlighting both its artistic value and its role as a testament to the cultural losses and recoveries of World War II.
