Israel Museum Shows Plundered Art

The Henri Matisse and Georges Seurat paintings at the Israel Museum's latest exhibitions have one thing in common: None of them have owners. At least not yet.

The twin shows "Orphaned Art" and "Looking for Owners" display about 100 artworks, many looted by the Nazis from Jews. Some are masterpieces, some are more mundane, but most lack the clear ownership history required for restitution.

"If you take a look around here, it does make you think of a certain kind of life that was broken apart by the war," said James Snyder, the museum's director.

Plundering of artworks, especially those belonging to Jews, began in 1938 and reached a peak around 1942 as the Nazis systematically murdered Jews from across Europe. Adolf Hitler drafted a wish list of artworks that were supposed to have left German possession since 1500, which he wanted for a new Third Reich art capital in his hometown of Linz, Austria.

After the war, stashes of looted art were found in depots, salt mines, castles, and homes, according to the museum.

"Orphaned Art" shows some 45 of the 1,200 stolen paintings, drawings, prints, and books that were discovered by the Allies in Germany after the war. They were brought to Israel in the early 1950s by the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization, and remain in the custody of Israel Museum because they lack documents to identify the owners.