Nazi-Era Looted Art: Research and Restitution
DISCLAIMER: This resource is intended to be for research and educational purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. Should readers require advice on relevant restitution matters, they should consult an attorney in the appropriate jurisdiction.
Introduction
With the rise of National Socialism in Germany, the largest art theft in world history was initiated even before the outbreak of the Second World War. Between 1933 and 1945, over 650,000 artworks were seized or forcibly sold by the Nazis across Europe. Only a small fraction have been returned to their rightful owners.
Despite the passage of time, the growing recognition among several nations that looted art must be returned to its rightful owners has been on the rise. Through the creation of legislations, Commissions, and other specific initiatives, this subject started to gather more attention.
On March 5, 2024, the US Government released a guideline calling institutions to build central contact points to provide information about Nazi-looted art claims, restitutions, and other fair and just solutions that have been achieved. In response to the Best Practices for the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art the Nazi-Looted Art Restitution Project was created.
Project Description
This initiative involves the creation of a comprehensive database to collect all cases related to the restitution of artworks looted by the Nazis between 1933-1945 and to showcase them in an interactive manner.
The Nazi-Looted Art Restitution Project is not restricted to specific collections, jurisdictions, successful restitution cases, or a particular type of dispute – It extends beyond a focus on litigation cases to also include settlement agreements, voluntary restitutions, and others. The overarching goal of the project is to compile as many publicly documented cases from around the world as possible, organizing them in a structured and thoughtful manner.
Through this comprehensive approach, the project aims to identify various patterns, serving as a valuable educational and research tool for the future. Furthermore, it holds significant potential to increase media attention, raise public awareness on the subject, and assist in the identification and restitution of looted artworks.
Data Contextualization
The project is structured into three distinct, yet simultaneous stages:
Stage I – Sourcing Data and Cross-Referencing Analysis
The first stage involves searching for information related to Nazi-looted art restitution cases across existing databases and physical archives. To ensure the accuracy of the data collected, a cross-referencing analysis is conducted using reliable sources, as well as researching additional materials, such as legal decisions, provenance research of the objects, articles, books, and academic publications. Additionally, law firms, institutions, foundations, and other relevant entities that may possess supplementary information to further verify the authenticity of the gathered data are also contacted.
Stage 2 – Central Contact Point: Comprehensive database
The second stage of the project involves developing a comprehensive database that serves as a central repository for collecting, organizing, and referencing information on the cases. In a recent development, the project has transitioned to storing its cases on a platform specifically designed for this purpose, which will be made publicly available in the near future. Currently, the system houses over 600 cases.
Additionally, the project’s volunteers are in the process of integrating multiple databases and ongoing initiatives, such as the 1,500 cases from the Restatement of Restitution Rules on Nazi-Confiscated Art led by Professor Matthias Weller from the University of Bonn, which are directly related to the five existing commissions on the restitution of Nazi-looted art.
Stage 3 – Interactive Visualization
The final stage of the project focuses on presenting the database information in an interactive format. The goal is to provide multiple search and visualization options, including statistical charts, location-based mapping, and searches by artist and original owner names. These features will be implemented through a specialized digital tool developed exclusively for the project in the future. Currently, the primary visual representation available is a timeline that traces the journey toward restitution for each case, spanning the years 1933 to 2025:
DISCLAIMER: This timeline is currently under development and subject to ongoing revisions.
The Nazi-Looted Art Restitution Project under development; the Center for Art Law aims to continuously update the database/digital visualization of the project. For those interested in contributing to the advancement of this project, the following options are available:
Submit case suggestion
Consider making a donation
Want to Become a volunteer? Contact Us
amanda@itsartlaw.org
