Research project
The project examines the efforts made by survivors of Nazi persecution after 1945 to recover artworks that had been taken from them, as well as the practice of art restitution under West German legislation. By drawing on a cross-sectional sample, the analysis sheds light on a segment of art restitution that falls below the threshold of high-profile, museum-worthy artworks but nonetheless represents the vast majority of cases. Most of these proceedings did not result in the actual restitution of the works in question, but at most in a financial settlement. By focusing on the reality of these “ordinary” cases of art restitution and the actors involved, the project contributes to the current discussion on Nazi-looted art and the restitution of cultural property, shedding new light on their historical context. In terms of methodology, the project connects the history of redress for Nazi injustices with the history of materialities, legal history, and the history of art after 1945.
