Change and renewal dominated 2021 for the Restitutions Committee. The report issued by the Nazi Looted Art Restitution Policy Evaluation Committee was the basis for a new Decree Establishing the Restitutions Committee issued by the Minister in April 2021. It contains a new assessment framework on the basis of which the Restitutions Committee handles restitution applications. The Minister also decided to resume systematic research into the provenance of objects in the NK Collection (Netherlands Art Property Collection, managed by the State).

Change was not limited to formal measures. The need for more intensive and more accessible communication prompted the Restitutions Committee to invest in personal contacts with applicants, parties involved and the international network of restitution committees. A new website was also launched in 2021. Its enhanced search function and expanded historical content are in line with current digital requirements. To mark the twentieth anniversary of the Dutch Restitutions Committee, 2021 furthermore saw the production of the documentary Roofkunst & Restitutie (Looted Art & Restitution), which features the experiences of applicants in two restitution cases.

Pandemic-related restrictions contributed to delays in completing investigation reports. As a consequence, in 2021 the Restitutions Committee was only able to issue one recommendation. Thanks to new source material, the restitution application by the Adelsberger-Isay heirs, which had been rejected in 2009, was finally granted.

The annual report describes all the developments relating to the Restitutions Committee, including personal input from committee members, photographic material and references to digital files.

Use the following link to read it (PDF-file):