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
Three documentaries provide a chance to look behind the scenes of the Restitutions Committee. They show how the Committee does its work and how it prepares recommendations and rulings. They also reveal the emotional process that descendants undergo during the unearthing of the history associated with an artwork.
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.
Hitler viewed the Order of Freemasons as an ‘enemy of the people' and a Jewish conspiracy. The Order was banned shortly after his rise to power in Germany. The ban in the Netherlands followed in September 1940. Possessions belonging to the Order of Freemasons were systematically stolen and sold under duress from May 1940 onwards. Lodges (local associations) were liquidated throughout the country.
Gosschalk was a Jewish artist, collector, restorer and dealer. In 1943 he and his sister were included in the Barneveld group and deported to Theresienstadt concentration camp via Westerbork transit camp. He remained there until the liberation. Gosschalk wrote in post-war correspondence with the SNK that the lion's share of his collection was lost during the occupation. His recollections were severely damaged as a result of his wartime experiences. He could only briefly describe a few lost works.
The Committee concluded that it is highly likely that the portrait bust was the property of the German-Jewish art dealer Gustav Cramer. He acquired ownership of the bust in Germany in or before 1922. In 1938 he, together with his family, fled Nazi Germany to the Netherlands taking the portrait bust with him.
This concerns a second advice for the heirs of Max and Martha Liebermann. The Committee has advised the Minister to restitute the drawing 'Daughter and Wife of Max Liebermann, Reading at a Round Table' to the heirs.
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
23 September 2025
The Committee has advised the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science to restitute the painting Fruit Still Life by the seventeenth-century painter Johannes Bosschaert to the Order of Freemasons under the Grand Orient of the Netherlands. Although this is not generally known, the Nazis persecuted the Order of Freemasons as an organization during the occupation.
28 May 2025
On Thursday 26 June the Dutch Restitutions Committee will contribute to the international conference Recovered Memories in Paris. Descendants of families from five European countries who were victims of art looting during the Nazi regime, professionals and interested parties from all over the world will engage in discussing the importance of restituting Nazi looted art. The emphasis is on sharing the histories of the robbed families.
23 July 2024
The RC has advised Rotterdam to restitute the drawing Girl Writing at a Table by Max Liebermann to the heirs of Max and Martha Liebermann. As a rule, restitution applications are submitted by the descendants of art collectors and art dealers. This is the first case of an application being submitted by the heirs of the maker of the artwork in question.
Keep abreast of the latest recommendations and developments within the Restitutions Committee.
PO Box 556
2501 CN The Hague
+31 70 376 59 92
