Private restitution of Nazi looted art was until recently an
underestimated issue on the agenda of nations and art institutions. The
historical and legal context shows clearly that WWII brought the protection
of cultural property on the foreground. Private parties were left out of the
scope of all international agreements that provided for the restitution of
Nazi looted art. A private party in order to establish its claim for restitution
has to deal with the legal complexities that arise. This essay attempts to
present and compare the relevant case law and to portray the new
tendencies. Emphasis is given to alternative dispute resolution particularly
in connection to the special advisory commissions/panels, which followed
the Washington Principles 1998. Moreover, this essay tries to inform about
the private cultural property of the Greek Jews of Thessaloniki, presenting
the results of a compressed yet fruitful research in published sources and
the archives of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki.
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