Restitution of art objects lost during WWII

The Dutch government is currently drawing public attention to the restitution of artworks repatriated from Germany after the Second World War and currently in the custody of the Dutch State (the NK collection).

Thousands of art objects were sold, robbed or confiscated and ended up in Germany during World War II. After the war, the Stichting Nederlandsch Kunstbezit (SNK) returned many of the recuperated works of art to their rightful owners on behalf of the Dutch State. Nevertheless, there are still a large number of works of art in the state’s custody. These constitute the Nederlands Kunstbezit-collectie (NK collection).

The Nederlands Kunstbezit collection comprises approximately 4,000 art objects and consists of paintings (approx. 1,600), drawings, prints, ceramics, silverware, furniture, carpets and other special objects.

Anyone who thinks that they have a legitimate claim to a work in the NK Collection can submit a claim to the Dutch government.

The deadline for restitution applications is 4 April, 2007. Further information is on the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science website and on the Origins Unknown website, which allows people to search the database for art objects or family names themselves.

Source: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 April 2006