Claimant Information
If you, your family or your institution were the victims of Nazi looting of works of art between 1933-1945, the Commission for Looted Art will work to research, locate and recover your looted artworks. For full information about our services, please email us at info@lootedartcommission.com, telephone us at the number below or write to us by mail (including any documentation) to:
76 Gloucester Place
London W1U 6HJ
England
Tel: +44 (0)20 7487 3401
Fax: +44 (0)20 7487 4211
All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Researching and recovering your losses
If you wish to pursue a claim, we will first need to gather all available information on what was looted. There are many sources and archives in various countries which can provide such information and which the Commission is expert in utilising.
Additionally, you may hold information in your family that could be very helpful in our research to identify your losses. It is always worth discussing with any surviving members of the family, or anyone who knew the family during the period, what may have been looted and the circumstances of the looting. Should no one be available who recalls exactly what occurred, then try to write down what you and your family may have been told in the past. This information should include, if possible, your family's home and business addresses, details of where the works were obtained and when, and any exhibitions or publications in which they might have appeared during or before your family's ownership.
In addition, collect any available documentation, for instance, inventories, insurance documents or photographs which show the works. This documentation might also include information about any post-war attempts to find or recover the works.
The Commission will then work to locate the missing works of art and recover them. CLAE is expert in the recovery of looted works of art in all countries and has negotiated many settlements with governments, the art trade, museums and individual collectors internationally. It has achieved the restitution of many hundreds of artworks on behalf of individuals and families worldwide. Its work as a representative body has led to legislative and policy change throughout Europe to enable the just resolution of claims.
Advisory Role
The Commission's expert staff are always available to provide confidential, professional and impartial advice to any claimant in need of guidance on any aspect of a claim they are already pursuing or may wish to pursue.
Registering Losses
Through its Central Registry of Information, the Commission has access to the largest online database of Nazi looted art as well as to a confidential database and to up-to-date auction and sales information internationally. Claimants may register their losses with the Commission by contacting us at the addresses above.