New York museums must now disclose Nazi-looted art

Law says museums need to 'prominently place a placard or other signage' next to pieces stolen by the Third Reich

The Third Reich stole and confiscated about 600,000 works of art during the Second World War, mostly from Jewish communities. Reuters

A new law in the US state of New York obligates museums to disclose whether a piece of artwork was stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War.

The new law, passed earlier this month, mandates that museums “prominently place a placard or other signage” aside the artwork, CNN reported.

The Third Reich stole and confiscated about 600,000 works of art during the war, mostly from Jewish communities.

The legislation is part of a package signed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul that aims to better honour and support Holocaust survivors.

“As New Yorkers, we are united in our solemn commitment to Holocaust survivors: we will never forget,” Ms Hochul said in a statement.

“These are individuals who have endured unspeakable tragedy but nonetheless have persevered to build lives of meaning and purpose right here in New York.

“We owe it to them, their families and the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust to honour their memories and ensure future generations understand the horrors of this era.”

Holocaust Remembrance Day — in pictures

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  Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, speaks at International Holocaust Remembrance Day held at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  Nickolay Mladenov, director of the Research and Analysis Department at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, says the event honours and commemorates the millions of lives lost during the Second World War.

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  Tad Stahnke of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum speaks during International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

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  Amir Hayek, Israel's ambassador to the UAE, speaks at the event.

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  A panel discussion featuring Rob Standoff, executive director of The Washington Institute (left), moderator Shamma Al Dabal (middle) and Mina Abdelmalek of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

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  Guests at the event to observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In 1998, 44 countries signed the Washington Principles, a set of international guidelines for returning Nazi-looted art. Since then, countries such Austria and Germany have returned tens of thousands of stolen items, Smithsonian Magazine reported.

But thousands of paintings, sculptures and other pieces of stolen art are currently held by museums around the world as the original owners have either died, have yet to claim them or are working through the extensive legal process of retrieving them.

For example, according to Smithsonian Magazine, the Louvre in Paris, as of 2018, held more than 1,700 works looted by the Nazis.

“For years, many of these paintings have been on display at institutions, yet without any acknowledgement of their origin,” Jack Kliger, chief executive at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, told CNN.

“This legislation remedies that and allows institutions in New York to honour those whose lives were lost and whose personal possessions were stolen for profit.”

Louvre exhibition 'Impressionism: Pathways to Modernity' — in pictures

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  Louvre Abu Dhabi is hosting a significant exhibition of Impressionist works, with more than 150 masterpieces, including 'The Racecourse, amateur jockeys near a car', 1876-1887, by Edgar Degas. All photos: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Musee d'Orsay

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  'Saint Lazare Station', 1877, by Claude Monet.

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  'Woman with a Coffee Pot' by Paul Cezanne.

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  'The Balcony', 1868-1869, by Edouard Manet.

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  'The Magpie Winter', 1868-1869, Claude Monet.

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  'Floor Scrapers', 1875, by Gustave Caillebotte.

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  'London, Parliament, Sunshine in the Fog', 1904, by Claude Monet.

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  'The Cradle', 1872, by Berthe Morisot.

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  'Women in the Garden', circa 1866, by Claude Monet.