News from Berlin

Germany and Israel will further cooperate on Nazi-looted art

June 18th, 2014
Egon_Schiele_ Germany and Israel will further cooperate on Nazi-looted art.jpg

News from Berlin - Israeli Culture and Sports Ministry Director, Orly Froman, and German Culture Minister, Monika Gruetters, signed a deal on Sunday, June 15, to work together on the restoration of pieces of art looted during the Nazi era. This will be followed by joint museum research by experts from both countries to determine the original ownership. Beforehand, the team will go through thorough training and will create a database for their findings.

Gruetters expressed content, saying that "the cooperation between German and Israeli institutions on provenance research of Nazi-confiscated art and Judaica (Ed. Jewish ceremonial art) is a great vote of confidence”, as cited by AFP.

According to Gruetters in an interview for DW, “provenance research gained political significance” especially after the 1998 Washington Conference Principles. The multilateral agreement was signed by 44 countries committing to the restoration of original ownership.

Since Ms Gruetters has been in office, the federal funding for looted art research has been doubled from 2014 from 2 million euros to 4 million euros, and it is expected to reach 8 million for 2015.

According to the German Culture Minister the restoration of Nazi-looted art is of great importance to the reconciliation process and the consolidation of German-Israeli diplomatic relations.

 

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