Whats the estimated number of works held in U.S. art museum collections that were looted by the Nazis that may be returned to Holocaust victims or their heirs?
This is impossible to estimate, but based on the results to date and new research, it is probably less than 20 works. American museum collections are well researched and documented, and the vast majority of the works of art were not in any way affected by the War. Nonetheless, museums will vigorously and timely pursue any and all Holocaust-era claims brought to their attention and will certainly not be constrained by numbers or estimates. Many of the great private collections on which American museums are based were formed before the War. American museums and private collections were not subject to seizure by the Nazis or others, as they were not in countries in which the war was fought. Nor did any American museums or government institutions claim ownership of works from private collections repatriated from the Nazis after the War, as happened in Europe.
