(New York, NY)  February 15, 2022:  The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) welcomes the passage of looted art legislation in France as an important step in the restitution of works plundered during the Holocaust.  The law authorizes public museums holding the works to hand over the property to the heirs of the original owners. Fifteen pieces of art will be restituted.

Gideon Taylor, Chair of Operations, World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) issued the following statement:

“The passage of this historic looted art legislation in France today is a significant development in the restitution of works plundered from Jews during the Holocaust. We hope that the Parliament will continue to move forward with this effort to pass a law that will permit deaccessioning of artworks that are still in French government museums. Seventy-seven years after the end of the Holocaust, survivors and their families deserve justice for property that was wrongfully taken from them during the Shoah.”

The French Ministry Culture of estimates that a total of 100,000 artworks were seized in France during World War II. Since the end of the war, thousands of the world’s most famous artworks that were looted during that time, have been kept in custody by public museums such as the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.