Nazi link to UK art treasures

Uncertain history: Nicolaes Verkoje's "Two Ladies and an Officer Seated at Tea" (top) and Ambrosius Benson's "The Virgin and Child with St. Anne"

LONDON, England -- British museums and art galleries could contain up to 600 pieces of art looted by the Nazis.

The National Museum Directors' Conference (NMDC) has identified work, many by famous artists including Picasso and Degas, for which there is no record between 1933 and 1945.

The NMDC -- a voluntary association made up of the national museums in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the UK's three national libraries, the botanic gardens at Kew and Edinburgh and the Public Record Office -- has appealed for the public's help in trying to track the whereabouts during the war of about 600 items.

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.

Around 110,000 of those looted pieces remained missing in 1998.

In December 1998, a conference hosted by the U.S. and attended by representatives from 44 countries signed a treaty setting out guidelines asking governments, museums and art galleries to make available all relevant records and archives regarding any works of art which may have been looted.

It also made provision for resources and personnel to help identify stolen art, and that a central registry be set up to let survivors and their families know if their art still exists.

One 40-page document released at the conference in Washington listed 700 pieces that Nazis confiscated from Jews in Vienna, Austria, before the war and which ended up in Austrian museums.

Earlier this year, the NMDC identified 350 works of art for which their background was unclear, but that has now almost doubled.

The original 350 paintings and drawings described as having "uncertain provenance" -- their origins and history are unclear -- included paintings by Picasso, Monet and Cezanne.

The larger list now include works by Degas, Courbet and Caravaggio as well as sculptures, drawings and miniatures.

The NMDC published a report on its Web site on Thursday detailing the works of art (www.nationalmuseums.org.uk).

An extensive search through the national museums has so far failed to prove that any works had been wrongly taken.

The largest institution represented in the NMDC, the British Library, has begun an investigation in to the backgrounds of most of its 80 million items. So far, it has found 42 for which their history and origins cannot be confirmed for the period between 1933 and 1945.

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chairman of the working party set up to investigate the issue of art that may have been stolen during the Holocaust, said: "We are encouraging people to come forward with information. We depend on people coming to us with information to help us fill the gaps.

"People could have the smallest pieces of information that could be crucial for us in determining where a piece of art was in the period 1933 to 1945."

Dr Alan Borg, Chairman of the NMDC, said: "It's still early days for the national museums as well as the regional ones.

"Those who may turn out to have a claim may not know about it at the moment. They could be in a state of mind where they don't want to think about what happened during the war and to their families."

Lord Janner, Chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: "I am delighted that the UK is continuing to lead the world in researching the provenance of works in its public museums and galleries.

"But the government must ensure that the only current claim against the Tate, and any future claims arising from this research, are resolved without delay. Survivors and their families will not survive forever."

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National Museum Directors' Conference
Looted Art Catalogue
Commission for Looted Art in Europe
Nazi Plunder of European Art

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