Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
Fordham University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, M.A.
Williams College, B.A.
New YorkNew Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Cir.U.S. District Court, E.D. New York
U.S. District Court, S.D. New York
U.S. District Court, Dist. of New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Cir.
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Cuban-American Bar Association
Mari-Claudia Jiménez is an associate in Herrick's Art Law practice group, where she represents claimants seeking restitution of stolen or looted art works, and counsels museums, art galleries, auction houses, dealers, artists, and collectors on a variety of art-related issues. As part of Herrick's Art Law group, Mari-Claudia assisted Neue Galerie in connection with its acquisition of Gustav Klimt's 1907 portrait, "Adele Bloch-Bauer I;" represented the heir of Jacques Goudstikker, a prominent Jewish art dealer in The Netherlands who died while fleeing the Nazis, in the 2006 restitution by the Dutch Government of 200 Old Master paintings looted by the Nazis; represented the heirs of Kazimir Malevich in their litigation against the Stedelijk Museum and the City of Amsterdam, and the successful settlement of that litigation in 2008; and represented the Estate of Lea Bondi Jaray in the Southern District of New York case, United States of America v. Portrait of Wally and the successful settlement of that case in 2010. Mari-Claudia also represented the Estate of Frances Lasker Brody in connection with the sale of its art collection. The highlight of the sale, which took place at Christie's in New York, was a Picasso masterwork, "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust," that brought $106.5 million, setting a new record price for a work of art at auction.
Before joining Herrick, Mari-Claudia obtained a undergraduate degree in Art History from Williams College, and worked at a number of museums and auction houses. She then obtained her Master's Degree in Cuban-American History and Relations from Fordham University Graduate School, and worked as a historical researcher for a number of documentary films on Cuba before receiving her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
Mari-Claudia is fluent in Spanish and French.
Estate of Lea Bondi Jaray - "Portrait of Wally" Restitution
After over ten years of litigation, our client, the Estate of Lea Bondi Jaray, achieved a very favorable settlement in the case of United States v. Portrait of Wally, which has been credited with being one of the first to focus the world's attention on the problem of Nazi-looted art. Egon Schiele's Portrait of Wally was stolen in the late 1930's from Lea Bondi Jaray, a Jewish art dealer and collector, by a Nazi agent. The settlement compensates the heirs for the true value of the painting—$19 million—and provides for permanent signage acknowledging the painting's true provenance to be placed next to the painting after it is returned to the Leopold Museum in Vienna.
Representation of the heirs of the world-renowned Russian artist Kazimir Malevich in their litigation against the City of Amsterdam to reclaim artworks created by their ancestor. This litigation was successfully settled in April 2008 when the City of Amsterdam returned five Malevich paintings to the heirs.
 |
 |
 |
 |