| Background
Information Nazi
looting of Europe The
Nazi pillaging of Europe is well documented. From 1933 - 1945, the Nazis systematically
looted cultural property from every territory they occupied. Nazi organisations
such as the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) and Dienststelle Mühlmann
were established to confiscate property and took objects from both public institutions
and private individuals. Art
collections from prominent Jewish families, including the Rothschilds, the Rosenbergs
and the Goudstikkers were targeted because of their significant value. Some of
the objects were earmarked for Hitler's never realised Fürhermuseum,
some went to other high ranking officials such as Hermann Goering, while other
objects were traded to fund Nazi activities. By the end of the war, the Third
Reich amassed hundreds of thousands of cultural objects.
Post War Recovery Effort The
Allies created special commissions, such as the Monuments Fine Arts and Archives
(MFA&A) organisation to help protect famous European monuments from destruction,
and after the war, to travel to territories previously occupied by the Germans
to find Nazi art repositories. They recovered thousands of objects that were pillaged
by the Nazis. The
Allies collected the plundered artworks and stored them in a Central Collection
Point in Munich until they could be returned. The identifiable works of art were
returned to the countries from which they were taken, and the governments of each
nation would then return the objects to the proper owners. When the Munich collection
point was closed, the owners of many of the objects had not been found. Nations
were also unable to find all of the owners or their heirs. Effects
of Nazi looting today It
is estimated that 20% of Western art was looted by the Nazis and there are well
over 100,000 items that have not been returned to their rightful owners. The majority
of what is still missing includes everyday objects such as china, crystal or silver,
which have a strong sentimental value to the families that these were looted from. There
are also objects of great cultural significance that are still missing. This is
a major issue for the art market since legitimate organisations do not want to
deal in objects with unclear titles. Dealers, auction houses and museums are more
careful about checking the provenance of objects that come up for sale in case
they are looted. In
the last two decades, information has become more accessible due to political
and economic changes as well as advances in technology. Privacy laws in some countries
have expired so records that were once difficult to obtain are now open to the
public. Information from former Soviet countries that was previously unobtainable
is now available, and many organisations have posted information online making
it widely accessible. Although
there have been many positive steps in recent years to help trace and recover
looted objects, there is still much work that needs to be done. This
is only a brief background. There are several publications
on this subject that will provide a more thorough overview.
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