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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A national board said it won't investigate the accreditation status of the University of Oklahoma's art museum, where a Nazi-looted painting hangs.
The 1886 piece, called "Shepherdess Bringing In Sheep," is currently on display at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The Oklahoman (http://bit.ly/1xozn75 ) reported.
Leone Meyer of France claims she is the rightful heir to the art she said was stolen from her family by the Nazis during World War II. She is suing the college to have the painting returned.
The school maintains it's the rightful owner of the painting it was bequeathed by an oil tycoon's wife, who bought the art with her husband in 1956 at a New York gallery. She donated it to the college among more than 30 other works valued at around $50 million.
OU has refused to return the work to Pissarro, citing a previous Swiss court ruling that denied the family's claim based on a technicality. It doesn't dispute that the painting was stolen by Nazis.
Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, asked the American Alliance of Museums last week in a letter to investigate the museum's accreditation status. The board said it won't because of ongoing litigation.
"The accreditation commission is not a legal body," Alliance President Ford Bell said.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
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