NewsArt law
Two veteran lawyers from New York's Herrick Feinstein create new firm, Kaye Spiegler—and save on moving fees
The boutique firm will continue to work from the same offices, but wants to take on riskier contingency cases
NewsRestitution
Looted African works that France has promised to return to Benin will be shown in Paris museum for one last time
The exhibition Benin: the Restitution of 26 Works from the Royal Treasures of Abomey at Musée du quai Branly–Jacques Chirac will be on view for five days in October
NewsRestitution
Maqdala treasures looted by British troops returned to Ethiopia in 'largest single restitution'
At the ceremony in London, the Ethiopian ambassador renewed calls for museums to return Maqdala objects
NewsRestitution
Amsterdam to return Kandinsky sold under Nazi occupation to heirs
The decision ends a bitter dispute that damaged the reputation of Dutch restitution policy
NewsRestitution
Looted 2,700-year-old bricks—discovered in Swiss warehouse—are returned to Iran
Before the discovery of the more than 50 painted blocks, “the richness of Mannaean civilisation had not been appreciated”, expert says
NewsExhibitions
Dusseldorf exhibition on Jewish dealer Max Stern finally opens next month—but former backers want nothing to do with it
A previous version of the show was due to open in 2018, but was cancelled at short notice. Now it is being shunned.
NewsRestitution
‘Slap in the face’: Poland passes law effectively blocking Holocaust-era art restitutions
Lawyers and collectors weigh in on new rule that sets a 30-year limit on claims to property that was stolen by Nazis and Communist leaders
NewsRestitution
National Gallery of Australia to return 13 stolen objects to India that it bought from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor
"The decision to return the works is the culmination of years of research and due diligence," the Canberra museum says
NewsRestitution
German Nazi loot panel rejects heirs' claim for Lovis Corinth portrait, keeping it in Berlin’s Stadtmuseum
The commission said the work's history touches four families who had been “oppressed, robbed, deported, driven to flee or murdered”
NewsRestitution
Italy passes restitution resolution amid renewed calls for return of the 'Victorious Youth' bronze from Getty Museum
Italian senate approved resolution that could pave the way to restitutions as politicians call for return of Ancient Greek bronze also known as Atleta di Fano
NewsRestitution
French museums face fresh legal action over refusal to restitute works to Jewish families
Collection of the lawyer and collector Armand Isaac Dorville was sold after his death in an estate sale that the state argues was not forced
NewsRestitution
France returns Pechstein painting looted in occupied Paris to heirs of Hugo Simon, a banker and leading figure in German cultural life
An exhibition at the Pompidou in Paris is currently paying tribute to the Jewish collector
NewsBenin Bronzes
Berlin museums board agrees to relinquish Benin bronzes 'regardless of how they were acquired'
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation aims for the first restitutions to Nigeria next year, requests “detailed timetable” for negotiations
NewsRestitution
'There has been a generational shift': Belgian government to collaborate with Democratic Republic of Congo to return colonial-era loot
Bilateral accord to include projects to conserve, research, and store restituted items
NewsBenin Bronzes
Will the Queen return her Benin bronze? How the African treasure was looted not once, but twice
The 17th-century oba head was plucked from the Nigerian National Museum and given to Elizabeth II as a thank-you gift
NewsRestitution
The Met will return two Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
The Benin Court plaques donated in 1991 with more than 150 other works, have been deaccessioned, while a third object, an Ife Head offered for purchase, will instead be restituted
NewsRestitution
Belgian experts frustrated at 'lack of initiative from museums and government' call for restitution of colonial-era acquisitions
New report provides guidelines for the return of artefacts to Africa, where Belgium controlled territory that was 80 times its size
CommentUK politics
Don’t trash talk museums at this perilous time: we must adapt—not throw away—our cultural heritage
Cultural institutions—like religious buildings—can be spaces of good and harm, we cannot simply denounce their histories as one or the other, says museum director Nicholas Thomas
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Germany launches African museum exchange programme to discuss returning looted objects
New government initiative MuseumsLab aims to foster more international co-operation and consider topics including decolonisation and restitution
NewsRestitution
Germany pledges to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria starting in 2022
“We are facing up to our historical and moral responsibility”, says culture minister Monika Grütters
NewsRestitution
Scottish university claims Benin bronze bought for £750 is worth £500,000—but is that now really the case?
Aberdeen University is returning its looted 18th-century oba head to the Nigerian federal government
NewsBenin Bronzes
Global survey: where in the world are the Benin bronzes?
Around 160 institutions hold looted Benin artefacts, but how many are prepared to give them back? We asked museums in five countries for their position on restitution
NewsRestitution
'We've had a lot of museums reaching out': how Nigeria is getting ready to receive the world’s Benin bronzes
With institutions across the globe rethinking their views on restitution, the African country’s focus is now on making a home for its heritage
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Museum extension allows Indigenous Sámi people to welcome home more than 2,000 artefacts held in Finland
An exhibition at the National Museum of Finland will celebrate the objects' repatriation to the Sámi Museum and Nature Centre Siida in northern Lapland
NewsRestitution
Sotheby's to sell $2m Meissen porcelain collection restituted by Dutch government to heirs of Jewish industrialist
The collection of 18th-century porcelain was previously exhibited in Dutch museums
NewsRestitution
Dutch museum settles with Jewish businessman's heirs on painting sold in Nazi era, defying government panel
The agreement overturns the Restitution Committee's 2013 rejection of the claim, which argued the painting was worth more to the museum than the heirs
NewsRestitution
UCLA’s Fowler Museum to reach out to Nigeria about returning its Benin bronzes
As restitution momentum builds, director of Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art says it could lead discussions for the return of looted Benin objects in US museum collections
NewsRestitution
After major Klimt restitution by France, another work still vexes Vienna
Apple Tree II, once confused for Roses Under the Trees, was returned to the wrong family 20 years ago, leaving the heirs of its original owner facing huge obstacles to get it back
NewsRestitution
London’s Horniman Museum—home to 15 Benin bronzes—announces new ‘transparent procedures’ for looted object requests
South London museum has released new policies on restitution but says it will need to seek legal advice about the right to return artefacts
InterviewExhibitions
Humboldt Forum to show Britain’s 1897 violence and plunder in Benin exhibition next year
The exhibition will include around half of Berlin’s collection of Benin bronzes as Germany lays groundwork to return them to Nigeria
NewsRestitution
German Nazi-looted art panel recommends return of Franz Marc’s Foxes to heirs of Jewish banker
The decision on whether to return the painting, which hangs in Dusseldorf’s Kunstpalast, will be made by the city assembly in April
InterviewRestitution
Why African voices are crucial to the debate over the return of colonial loot
Senegalese art historian El Hadji Malick Ndiaye says discussions and decisions about the restitution of African artefacts cannot be dictated by the West
NewsRestitution
German culture minister seeks 'national strategy' on Benin bronzes, including restitution
Monika Grütters says she will meet museum directors and trustees next month
NewsBenin Bronzes
University of Aberdeen to return Benin bronze looted by British troops to Nigeria
The sculpture of an oba’s head was “acquired in a way that we now consider to have been extremely immoral,” the university says
NewsRestitution
‘The movement is unstoppable’: African scholars and activists hail German plan to return Benin bronzes
“There is simply no moral ground for the confiscation of African artefacts in Western museums,” says the Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe
CommentBenin Bronzes
Britain stole the royal, sacred Benin Bronzes from Nigeria—so why is Germany leading their return?
Germany's plans to return the artefacts are just the beginning of a necessary undoing of the art world's white infrastructure
NewsRestitution
Germany moves towards full restitution of Benin bronzes
The head of the German foreign ministry’s culture department visited Nigeria last week for discussions with the Edo State Governor
NewsRestitution
Cambodia’s Khmer heritage is finally returning home
Collector Douglas Latchford’s daughter has turned over his entire collection—as well as records that could lead to further recoveries from US institutions
NewsRestitution
France to return Klimt painting, which hangs in the Musée d’Orsay, to heirs of Viennese Jewish owner
Rosiers sous les arbres will be restituted after a legal process releases it from the national collections
NewsRestitution
Forging ahead with historic restitution plans, Dutch museums will launch €4.5m project to develop a practical guide on colonial collections
Researchers will consider “various modes of return” for museum objects and how the process can help to reconcile with colonial past
NewsParthenon marbles
George Clooney wades into Parthenon Marbles debate—again
The actor first stated that the Ancient Greek sculptures should be returned to their site of origin in 2014 after filming The Monuments Men
NewsRestitution
Looted in the 1980s, a sacred stele at the Dallas Museum of Art is headed back to Nepal
After FBI investigation, sculptural antiquity lent by a collector is determined to have a disturbing provenance
NewsRestitution
German Nazi loot panel urges return of Schiele work at Museum Ludwig to Jewish dentist’s heirs
In a unanimous decision, the government’s advisory commission says it is likely the work was sold under duress
NewsRestitution
Germany proposes law change to ease Nazi-loot returns from private foundations
Law change follows refusal by some foundations to restitute property lost due to Nazi persecution
NewsRestitution
Netherlands takes lead in Europe’s efforts to return artefacts to former colonies
The Dutch government adopts a committee’s “radical” guidelines, putting it at the forefront of European efforts to return colonial-era museum acquisitions
NewsRestitution
German panel urges restitution of a Heckel painting to the heirs of a Jewish journalist persecuted by the Nazis
Heirs plan to donate the work to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
NewsRestitution
Museum of the Bible in Washington returns around 5,000 disputed biblical objects to Egypt
Institution has been faulted for a lack of oversight in determining what artefacts were legally exported and sold
NewsNazi loot
An arms dealer casts a shadow over Kunsthaus Zurich
Petition calls for more transparency in planned display of the collection of Emil Georg Bührle, who bought Nazi-looted art with a fortune built on weapons
NewsLaw
Art lawyer Frank Lord opens private practice in New York
As well as working on high profile restitution cases, the former Herrick Feinstein partner has a PhD in art history
NewsRestitution
Spitzweg drawing from Gurlitt hoard returned to Jewish publisher’s heirs
The musical scene was seized by the Gestapo in 1939 from Henri Hinrichsen, who died at Auschwitz
NewsRestitution
Dresden poster campaign draws attention to looted Benin bronzes in city’s museum
Initiative by the Nigerian artist Emeka Ogboh is supported by Dresden’s state museums
FeatureArt dealers
Johnny Eskenazi: from wannabe theatre director to leading Eastern art dealer who rescued stolen Afghan ivories
Top Indian sculpture dealer warns against a too rigid interpretation of the 1970 Unesco Convention
NewsRestitution
Congolese activist who tried to seize an artefact from the Louvre is fined €5,000
Mwazulu Diyabanza says that “museums do not deserve respect” as restitution debate intensifies
NewsRestitution
French restitution bill passes final hurdle in parliament
Vote by National Assembly paves the way for the return of 27 colonial-era artefacts to Benin and Senegal within one year, but “will not create a legal precedent”
NewsRestitution
French Senate and government lock horns on restitution
Deputies rejected senators' proposal for a national council to advise the government on future restitution claims
NewsRestitution
Amsterdam court rejects heirs’ claim for Kandinsky painting in the Stedelijk Museum
Ruling upholds controversial decision by the beleaguered Dutch Restitutions Committee but counters an independent review
CommentHumboldt Forum
'Humboldt Forum must have a clear policy that only objects of proper provenance can be used'
The question of restitution as well as a new order of north-south relations should be top of the agenda, says George Abungu an international adviser to the project
NewsNazi loot
Dutch policy on Nazi-looted art should be more humane and transparent, panel finds
The government's treatment of claims for art plundered by Nazis has come under fire for placing interests of museums over "legal redress for injustice"
AnalysisAfrica
'Restitution is important but it is not essential': the African museums building a homegrown cultural revival
Though African institutions want looted artefacts to return home, they are more preoccupied with promoting living artists and treasures
AnalysisThe Year in Review 2020
Museums 2020: the year of crashing revenues and anti-racism disputes
Turbulent year draws to a close with sector wracked by pandemic lockdowns and Black Lives Matter challenges
NewsRestitution
Chair of Dutch Nazi-loot committee resigns ahead of report on restitution policy
Alfred Hammerstein’s departure follows criticism of Dutch committee’s decisions
NewsRepatriation
Artist discovers looted statue in Canadian museum and returns it to India
The 18th-century work was stolen by the museum's namesake from an active temple over 100 years ago
NewsLooted art
Jewish collections looted by the Nazis to be examined and traced in new database
The Jewish Digital Cultural Recovery Project will begin with a pilot scheme focusing on the Old Masters collection of Adolphe Schloss, which was seized by the Gestapo
NewsRestitution
French Senate votes unanimously for restitution to Benin and Senegal in 'act of friendship and trust'
Senate approves bill to return 27 colonial-era artefacts from museum collections to Africa within one year
NewsRestitution
Australia pledges millions towards repatriation of Aboriginal artefacts from overseas collections
Government extends pilot project to return objects to Indigenous peoples—including those held by private collectors
NewsCollectors
Congolese collector Sindika Dokolo reportedly dies in Dubai diving accident
Tributes pour in for “defender of African art”—who was also being investigated by Angolan authorities
NewsHeritage
Historic Book of Lismore returns to Ireland from Britain
Medieval vellum manuscript has been donated to University College Cork by Chatsworth, seat of the Dukes of Devonshire
NewsArt crime
Man tries to take artefact from Louvre—just two weeks after being charged for the same crime at Quai Branly
Congolese activist Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza, fined €1,000 earlier this month, will go to court again later today
NewsMuseums
Mondrian’s heirs file US suit to recover four paintings worth $200m from a German museum
The complaint also demands compensation for four further works by Mondrian no longer at the Krefeld museum
NewsRestitution
Black Lives Matter movement is speeding up repatriation efforts, leading French art historian says
Bénédicte Savoy—co-author of the Sarr-Savoy report that recommends France return its African artefacts—warns of "collective amnesia" over restitution debates that happened 40 years ago
NewsRestitution
Nazi-looted Dutch Old Master to be auctioned in settlement between heir and current holder
The Golden Age work by Aelbert Cuyp was looted from Jacques Goudstikker and acquired by Hermann Göring
NewsFrance
Congolese activist fined €1,000 for trying to seize African funeral pole from Paris museum
Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza and the other activists who removed the object from display at the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac say their actions are a protest against colonial looting
NewsRestitution
Dutch government committee recommends return of colonial-era artefacts
The report calls for a new panel to advise the minister on repatriations and a new provenance research centre
InterviewBook Club
Q&A | ‘The looting was a chaotic free-for-all’: Dan Hicks on the pillaging of the Benin Bronzes and colonialism in museums
The curator and University of Oxford professor tells us about his new book, The Brutish Museums, which details how museums themselves were “used as a unique type of weapon”
NewsRestitution
France’s National Assembly votes to return colonial-era artefacts to Benin and Senegal
Accelerated bill enabling restitution of 27 objects from French museums passes first vote in parliament
NewsRestitution
France ordered to return three Derain paintings to heirs of Jewish dealer René Gimpel
Ruling by Paris court of appeal sets an important precedent for pending restitution claim over 16 paintings in French museum collections
NewsRestitution
Leading Australian activist accuses British Museum of downgrading provenance of Aboriginal shield to prevent restitution
New text accompanying object removes mention that it was collected by Captain James Cook but museum says it doesn't alter its significance
NewsRestitution
Police search for Benin Bronze protestor—found guilty of 'threatening behaviour'
Isaiah Ogundele, who demonstrated outside the Museum of London, Docklands for the objects' repatriation, failed to appear at his court hearing earlier this month
NewsMuseums
Oxford museum removes 'racist' shrunken heads from display after 80 years
Exhibiting Tsantsas "reinforced racist and stereotypical thinking that goes against the museum’s core values,” says the Pitt Rivers Museum's director
NewsMuseums
Man arrested after protesting against Benin Bronzes display at London museum
Defendant was charged with using “threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress” during incident in January
NewsRestitution
Berlin returns tattooed Maori heads to New Zealand
Human remains in museums have attracted widespread criticism
NewsLaw
US appeals court rules—with regret—that Thyssen-Bornemisza Foundation can keep Nazi-looted Pissarro
Judges noted the Spanish government, which signed the Washington Principles in 1998, “can preen as moralistic in its declarations”, yet not be bound by them
AnalysisLooting
How recent anti-racism protests have pushed a longstanding debate about colonial looting in Europe
As the Black Lives Matter movement goes global, museums face renewed demands to restitute artefacts plundered from Africa
NewsRestitution
‘I had lost hope’: The story behind a Nazi-looted Madonna and long-delayed compensation to Jewish heirs
The 93-year-old heir Grete Unger Heinz recalls contemplating a Jacopo del Sellaio painting as a child in Vienna
NewsRestitution
Turin museum pays settlement to Jewish heirs for Renaissance Madonna that was looted by Nazis
Family of Gustav Arens also receive French government compensation for a Tintoretto painting and a Dutch landscape
NewsRestitution
France takes first legal step towards restitutions to Benin and Senegal as cabinet examines new law
Twenty-six objects looted from Abomey Palace to return to Benin, Omar Tall’s sword to be transferred to Senegal
NewsLaw
Heirs battle estate over $30m Monet painting from Emden collection sold during Nazi era
Le Palais Ducal is at the centre of an ownership dispute that has kept the work from coming to auction
NewsArt market
Sotheby's to auction £4m restituted Bellotto painting that Jewish retail magnate was forced to sell to Hitler
The view of Dresden's Zwinger moat had been returned to the heirs of Max Emden and will now be offered for sale in London on 28 July
NewsRestitution
US Supreme Court agrees to hear Berlin museums' appeal in lawsuit over restitution of medieval treasures to Jewish heirs
Panel will consider museums' argument that a trial over rightful ownership of the Guelph Treasure cannot be heard in American courts
NewsArt market
American collector to sue France over restitution of $1.7m Pissarro painting
Real estate developer Bruce Toll claims compensation after French High court confirms return of Pissarro's Pea Harvest to heirs of collector Simon Bauer
NewsAuctions
Waning market for African artefacts? Controversial Benin bronze fails to sell at Christie's
Academics challenge the provenance of the Edo plaque as well as two Igbo alusi figures that sold under estimate for €212,500
NewsRestitution
National museum in Stockholm to return stolen 16th-century painting to Poland
Officials in Poland and Sweden piece together provenance of work by School of Lucas Cranach the Elder
NewsProtests
Protestors seize African artefact from Paris's Quai Branly museum in bid to 'bring to Africa what was taken'
Five demonstrators will go to court on charges of theft
NewsMuseums
'Time to give back the swag, guys!' British Museum unleashes Twitter storm with statement on Black Lives Matter
London institution was criticised for proclaiming that it "stands in solidarity with the Black community" while continuing to resist calls to restitute colonial-era loot
NewsSecond World War
The cultural consequences of the Second World War carry into today
From art restitutions to how museum adapted to wartime constraints, we continue to feel the fallout 75 years after the conflict’s end
NewsBritish Museum
Mary Beard wades into restitution debate in her first blog post as a new British Museum trustee
"Museums have always been controversial. Who should be allowed in? And on what terms?" asks the celebrated classicist
NewsRestitution
'We want to be part of the solution': UK museum says it is open to discussing fate of Benin bronze after prince demands its return
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery wants to work in tandem with the Benin Dialogue Group, which is made up of institutions that hold the majority of the pieces
CommentRestitution
Restitution—what’s really going on?
Returning objects to their original homes is a way of righting past wrongs. But there's more to it than that
Alexander Herman