The Restitutions Committee
During Nazi regime (1933-1945), art was stolen on a large scale from mostly Jewish owners. A looted work of art can nowadays be in the possession of the Dutch authorities, a museum or a private person. Do you suspect that an art object used to belong to your family and that it was lost as a result of the Nazi regime? You can then submit a request for restitution to the Advisory Committee on the Assessment of Restitution Applications for Items of Cultural Value and the Second World War (or the Restitutions Committee for short).
I want to submit an application I received a request
To mark twenty years of Dutch restitution policy, the Restitutions Committee has released its Looted Art & Restitution documentary.
It shows how the Committee does its work and how it prepares recommendations and rulings. The documentary also reveals how emotional the process of unearthing the history associated with an artwork can be for descendants.
about the committee
The Restitutions Committee has advised on Nazi looted art in the Netherlands since 2001. It also shares knowledge on the subject through newsletters, lectures, symposia and publications. The Committee was established by the Ministry of Culture, Education and Science but operates independently. It consists of seven members and a secretariat and is based in The Hague.
The Restitutions Committee has reassessed the application from the heirs of Abraham Adelsberger for the restitution of two paintings (NK 3277 and NK 3278) by the artist A.H. von Stadler after a request for reconsideration on the grounds of new facts.
In a letter dated 24 June 2020 the Minister of Education, Culture and Science asked the Restitutions Committee for advice about the application for the restitution of the painting The Marriage Feast at Cana by J.G. Platzer and its frame.
In this dispute the Applicants and the City Council, asked the Committee for a binding opinion. The City Council has been the owner of a bronze situla and a bronze candelabrum since 1994.
International cooperation
Germany, France, Austria and the United Kingdom also have restitution committees for advice on Nazi looted art. In 2017, the five European restitution committees expressed their wish for closer cooperation and sharing knowledge. This resulted in the establishment of the Network of European Restitution Committees on Nazi-Looted Art. The Network meets regularly and publishes a Newsletter with contributions on restitution matters from the different countries.
CURRENT
30 December 2021
The Restitutions Committee is recommending restitution of two paintings by the artist A. von Stadler to Isay’s Jewish heirs on the grounds of new facts.
4 October 2021
Jacob Kohnstamm has been appointed Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Assessment of Restitution Applications for Items of Cultural […]
21 April 2021
On 7 December 2020 the Committee for the Evaluation of the Restitution Policy for Cultural Heritage Objects from the Second World War, the Kohnstamm Committee, advocated in its report Striving for Justice a recalibration and intensification of the restitution policy by, among other things, changing the assessment framework.
Keep abreast of the latest recommendations and developments within the Restitutions Committee.
PO Box 556
2501 CN The Hague
+31 70 376 59 92
