The international organizations listed below provide information and/or services for people who wish to locate or claim works of art or cultural property lost during the Holocaust.
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference)
The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO)
Conduct a comprehensive program toward the restitution of Jewish-owned art, Judaica, and other cultural property lost and plundered during the Holocaust. Working with relevant governments and Jewish communities around the world, the organizations focus on systemic issues, with emphasis on public institutional provenance research (research on the ownership history of an object from its creation to the present time) and the creation of a just and simple claims process in all countries. The Claims Conference/WJRO do not take on representation of individual claimants.
Contact:
Claims Conference/ WJRO
1359 Broadway
Room 2000
New York, NY 10018
Tel: 646-536-9100
Fax: 212-679-2126
Email: info@claimscon.org
The Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE)
A non-profit, dedicated, expert and representative body which acts on behalf of claimants to research, identify and recover looted cultural property. It negotiates policy and procedures with governments and institutions and provides a center of guidance and direction on all issues related to the restitution of Nazi-looted art.
Contact:
Commission for Looted Art in Europe
Catherine House
76 Gloucester Place
London W1U 6HJ
England
Tel: 44.207.487.3401
Fax: 44.207.487.4211
Email: info@lootedartcommission.com
The Central Registry of Information on Looted Cultural Property 1933-1945 (CRI)
An independent charitable body which provides a freely accessible international repository of information, documents and research from over 45 countries and a fully searchable database of over 25,000 looted, missing and questionable objects from over 12 countries. Established to fulfill Washington Principle Vl by the Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE), CRI monitors the implementation of policy worldwide, publishes primary sources and conducts original research under the auspices of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Oxford
Contact:
Central Registry of Information on Looted Cultural Property 1933-1945
76 Gloucester Place
London W1U 6HJ
England
Tel: 44.207.487.3401
Fax: 44.207.487.4211
E-mail: info@lootedart.com
The Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) of the New York State Department of Financial Services
Accepts claims for art lost or confiscated during the War years and will also undertake research on behalf of claimants to identify more clearly or to locate lost works of art.
Contact:
New York State Department of Financial Services/ Holocaust Claims Processing Office
One State Street
New York, NY 10004-1417
Tel: 1.800.695.3318 or 1.212.709.5583
Fax: 1.212.709.5592
Email: claimsques@dfs.ny.gov
The Art Loss Register, Inc. (ALR)
A private company that maintains a database of roughly 100,000 items of artwork reported missing or stolen and periodically scans auction catalogs and lists of museum holdings to identify stolen artwork. If victims of Nazi persecution or their heirs have adequate information regarding a specific work of art that has been stolen, ALR will register the artwork and waive the fee that it normally charges for this procedure:
Contact:
U.K. and Head Office:
The Art Loss Register
First Floor, 63 – 66 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8LE
Email: info@artloss.com
Tel: 44.207.841.5780
Fax: 44.207.841.5781
Art Recovery International (ARI)
Part of the Art Recovery Group (“ARG”: http://www.artclaim.com/). The Group conducts provenance research, mediates title disputes and can help with the recovery and negotiation of settlements for the return of cultural property. ARG developed a new database for stolen, looted and missing works of art.
Contact:
9 Clifford Street
London W1S 2FT
Tel: 44.203.763 3540
Fax: 44.20 7.691 9498
6 Exhibition House
Addison Bridge Place
London W14 8XP
Network of European Restitution Committees
On 1 January 2019, a network was created linking five committees in Europe working on the research and restitution of cultural property looted by the Nazis. An online guide to the work of the Restitution Committees can be accessed here.
last updated September 2024