Mission

Femme Nue Couchée, 1862 recovered by the Commission for Art Recovery in Slovakia in 2005
Gustave Courbet, Femme Nue Couchée, 1862, recovered by the Commission for Art Recovery in Slovakia in 2005

Painting by Georg Pencz, Portrait of Sigismund Baldinger (1510-1558), recovered by the Commission for Art Recovery and Clemens Toussaint in Germany in 2010.


Painting by Georg Pencz, Portrait of Sigismund Baldinger (1510-1558), recovered by the Commission for Art Recovery and Clemens Toussaint in Germany in 2010.


Gustave Courbet Landscape Around Ornans, n.d.
Painting recovered by the Commission for Art Recovery and Clemens Toussaint in Poland (May, 2012).

Beaching a Boat, Brighton

John Constable, Beaching a Boat, Brighton 1824 Painting recovered by the Commission for Art Recovery, March 2014

The Commission for Art Recovery (CAR) seeks justice for Holocaust victims of Nazi art theft by championing the universal application of international laws that recognize the theft of cultural objects during genocide as a crime against humanity. Over the past fifteen years, CAR’s legal activities, advocacy, research and education have played a key role in raising awareness and setting legal precedent regarding looted art. The need for CAR’s expertise continues to expand now, as art stolen during the Nazi era (1933-1945) increasingly emerges and pressure grows on museums and governments to implement policies consistent with international law.

Envisioned and founded by Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder in 1997, CAR’s activities contributed significantly to establishing Germany as the world’s undisputed leader in the restitution of Holocaust-looted art. Through its four Program Initiatives, CAR continues to advance the cause of restitution in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, the U.K. and the United States. Activities to educate the public about the horrors of genocide and war crimes extend CAR’s impact beyond the context of Holocaust art recovery and actively inspire other victims’ rights groups to seek recourse.

PROGRAM INITIATIVES

  • The Judicial Initiative uses litigation to encourage the adoption of international practices and principles that redress the injustice of looted art through restitution.
  • The Legislative Initiative advocates for policies that support claims and remove impediments to the return of stolen art.
  • The Educational Initiative assists professionals with provenance research and offers accessible programs that raise public awareness about looted art and restitution.
  • The Historical Research Initiative locates missing art on behalf of Holocaust victims and attempts to persuade governments and museums to research, identify and publicize works in their possession that were stolen during the Nazi era (1932-1945).