By Justine Chen
In the decades since the end of World War II, Nazi-looted art has remained a persistent issue; thousands of artworks from Jewish families during the Holocaust remain unreturned, either lost in time or entangled in legal and bureaucratic red tape. In France, one of the countries deeply affected by Nazi art plunder, the restitution process has historically been slow and cumbersome, constrained by legal doctrines that prioritize the inalienability of public collections over the rights of dispossessed families. While France was one of the signatories of the non-binding 1998 Washington Principles, restitution efforts have not been always successful or prompt.
That seems to have changed in July 2023, when the French Parliament unanimously passed Law No. 2023-650. For the first time, French public institutions were granted the authority to return Nazi-looted artworks without requiring parliamentary approval,[1] marking a fundamental shift in policy, practice, and principle.
Historical Context
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