News Item: 00029

20th Aug 2007

New website for WW11 stolen artworks

Source: http://www.imj.org.il

The Israel Museum, in Cooperation with the Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims' Assets launches special website for works stolen during World War II.

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, has completed an online catalogue of works of art and Judaica that were looted during the Second World War and given to the Museum for custodianship after the war.

Following the end of World War II, the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization (JRSO), charged with reclaiming stolen Jewish property, transferred many works of art and Judaica to Jewish institutions in Israel and worldwide. These objects either had no record of prior ownership history or came from institutions which did not survive the war. As part of this initiative, the Bezalel National Museum, the Israel Museum's predecessor, received several hundred works for custody. These works were moved to the Israel Museum in 1965, when the Museum was founded.

Details on all works are now available online, in an initiative coordinated with the Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims' Assets, in order to make information readily available to survivors and possible heirs and to assist in their efforts to reclaim objects formerly in their families' possession.

The website, entitled World War II Provenance Research Online, is part of the Israel Museum's website, www.imj.org.il, and includes a link to website of the Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims' Assets. It is accesible worldwide and provides information in the categories of paintings, works on paper and objects of Judaica. Information includes images of all objects, titles of works or other descriptive information, names of artists (if known), countries of origin (if known), dimensions and other identifying characteristics.

Requests for restitution should be submitted to the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, following instructions provided on the website.