British take steps to return art plundered by Nazis

'Two Ladies and an Officer Seated at Tea' (top) by Nicolaes Verkoje and 'The Virgin and Child with St. Anne' by Ambrosius Benson, are among the more than 300 art treasures described as having 'uncertain provenance'

March 4, 2000
Web posted at: 10:25 p.m. EST (0325 GMT)

In this story: 350 paintings, drawings cited Works by the famous are included RELATED STORIES, SITES

From Correspondent Amanda Kibel

LONDON (CNN) -- The plunder of thousands of art treasures by Hitler's Nazi regime has been called the greatest art theft in history.

According to the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, nearly one-fifth of all the art treasures in the world and one-third of all art in private collections across Europe were stolen from Jews and non-Jews alike during World War II.

When the Allies liberated Europe, they found more than 2,000 caches of stolen works in Germany alone.

Some pieces were returned to their original owners, but thousands of others remain lost.

VIDEO CNN's Amanda Kibel reports that experts estimate the Nazi regime looted nearly one-fifth of all the art treasures in the world. QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

350 paintings, drawings cited

In an effort to trace some of these pieces and return them to their private owners, British art galleries and museums have published a list that details pieces now hanging on gallery walls that may once have been stolen.

Anne Webber, of the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, said, "The British are really taking great steps. It's very important, because for 50 years families have been looking for works of art stolen from them by the Nazis."

The list cites 350 paintings and drawings that are described as having "uncertain provenance" -- their origins and history are unclear. The museums and galleries are quick to point out, however, that this does not necessarily mean the works were stolen.

Works by the famous are included

On the list are priceless paintings by Picasso, Monet and Cezanne, but the famous works make up only a small proportion of the missing art.

Many stolen pieces have less financial value, but enormous emotional and sentimental worth.

"They were taken from families in the most brutal and terrifying circumstances," said Webber, "and the works are not just pictures, they're not impersonal objects.

"They are pictures that hung on the walls of homes that were destroyed, of lives that were destroyed."

While British galleries have resorted to publishing a list, other searches must rely on vague childhood memories or second-hand accounts from families of the dead.

The great tragedy of stolen art, say experts, is that much of it never will be returned.

Many owners were killed in the Holocaust, and the survivors -- children when the art was taken -- are unlikely to live long enough to see their family paintings again.

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Simon Wiesenthal Center
Switzerland & the Holocaust Assets
U.S. Department of State, Official Web Site

• Holocaust Assets: Statement by Stuart Eizenstat
• U.S. Department of State, Holocaust Assets

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