A rare Franz Marc oil painting last sold in 1940 is set to go under the hammer for $75 million after it was returned to its original owner's family.
The Daily Mail reports the painting was sold to Jewish investment banker Kurt Grawi and his wife in 1928 so it would not be destroyed by the Nazis.
Grawi and his wife then smuggled it into the US after they fled Germany in 1939 to then sell the painting to German-American film director William Dieterle in 1940.
Grawi sold the painting so he could raise funds to ensure the survival of his family and emigration to New York.
The painting named 'The Foxes' was made in 1913 by Marc who is mostly known for his paintings of animals in vibrant colours and is considered by many to be the father of modernism.
Marc died in 1916 at the young age of 36.
The Nazis labelled Marc a degenerate as part of their suppression of modern art in the 1930s which meant his work would likely have been destroyed if it remained in Germany.
The Foxes is set to be the main event of an evening sale at Christie's in London next month which is expected to feature other notable works from the 20th and 21st centuries.
