Nazi-Era stolen art and US museums: a survey

Over seven years have passed since the United States Government endorsed the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and the American Association of Museums (AAM) first recommended Guidelines Concerning the Unlawful Appropriation of Objects During the Nazi Era. Along with the U.S. government and other funders, the Claims Conference provided initial funding toward the establishment of the AAM’s Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal, a search tool covering objects in U.S. museums that might possibly have been stolen during the Holocaust. In order to ascertain the progress made by U.S. museums in researching their collections and in dealing with the issues in this area, the Claims Conference – in cooperation with the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) – surveyed 332 art museums throughout the United States.