On Thursday 26 June the Dutch Restitutions Committee will contribute to the international conference Recovered Memories in Paris. France is organizing the event in its role as chair of the Network of European Restitution Committees on Nazi-Looted Art. 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. Their experiences are at the core, while at the same time there is a focus on the art that was plundered, the recognition of injustice and the importance of international cooperation. Research into and restitution of art looted by the Nazis does not stop at a country’s border.

The story of the Nijstad family is being shared by family members on behalf of the Netherlands. After finding paintings on the website of the Dutch Origins Unknown Agency (herkomstgezocht.nl), the heirs of the Jewish antiques dealer Abraham Nijstad submitted an application for restitution to the Dutch State. The request concerned seven paintings in the Netherlands Art Property Collection (NK Collection).

After extensive research by the Expert Centre Restitution NIOD, the Dutch Restitutions Committee concluded it is highly plausible that three of these works – Mountain Lake with Deer and Birds (Hondius), Landscape with Windmill (Schelfhout) and Imaginary Mediterranean Port (Storck) – were the property of Abraham Nijstad and that he lost them involuntarily as a result of circumstances during the Nazi regime. As a Jewish art dealer, Nijstad was forced to purchase artworks for the Nazis’ Special Mission Linz as part of a planned art collection for Hitler. He became involved in order to save lives. This position was often misunderstood after the war.

Based on its findings, the Restitutions Committee advised the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science to restitute the three paintings to the heirs. An application to restitute the four other paintings was rejected because it was not sufficiently plausible that they had been Abraham Nijstad’s property.

The story of the Nijstad family shows that restitution is more than recognizing injustice and returning an artwork. It is also about keeping a family history alive where the artworks are often the only tangible reminders of the victims of Nazi violence. Members of the Nijstad family will be sharing their personal story during the conference in Paris at the invitation of, among others, the Dutch Restitutions Committee.

Relevant recommendation and summary: Nijstad

Program and registration conference: https://www.civs.gouv.fr/en/recovered-memories-en