Louvre Opens Rooms for Nazi-Looted Art, Aims to Return Works
Since December 2017, the Louvre Museum in Paris has displayed 31 artworks that were confiscated by Nazis during World War II, with the goal of returning them to their rightful Jewish owners. In addition, 76 pieces are part of the permanent collection, each labeled with identification codes. Since 1944, France has been working to trace stolen art, successfully recovering approximately 61,000 of the over 100,000 items taken. Established in 1999, the Commission d'indemnisation des victimes de spoliations (CIVS) focuses on identifying the original owners. A significant case involved the return of a 16th-century painting by Joos van Cleve to the descendants of Hertha and Henry Bromberg, who escaped to Paris in 1938, with the painting being returned on November 28, 2016.
Key facts
- Louvre opened two rooms in December 2017 displaying 31 Nazi-looted paintings.
- 76 additional looted works are in the permanent collection with identification codes.
- France established a commission in 1944 to trace looted art owners.
- Over 100,000 objects were looted from France during WWII.
- About 61,000 items recovered; 45,000 returned, 13,000 sold, 800 given to Louvre.
- MNR (Musée Nationaux Récupération) designates looted works in French museums.
- CIVS was created in 1999 to identify owners of looted property.
- A painting attributed to Joos van Cleve was returned to Bromberg heirs in 2016.
- The Bromberg painting was recovered from Altaussee mine and held as MNR 387.
- Sébastien Allard stated claimants must provide evidence like old photos.
Entities
Artists
- Joos van Cleve
Institutions
- Louvre Museum
- Musée Nationaux Récupération (MNR)
- Commission d'indemnisation des victimes de spoliations (CIVS)
- Musée de Beaux-Arts de Chambéry
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Germany
- Austria
- Altaussee
- United States