Journalism of Courage
The discovery of 1,500 artworks is a reminder of Nazi plunder,raises questions of restitution.
Ever since Indiana Jones foiled a Nazi plot to gain ownership of the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark,the Third Reichs documented interest in looting objets dart from museums and private collections,and the chaos that followed its fall,have inspired many a treasure hunter to search for fabled art or gold troves. The discovery of some 1,500 works of degenerate art the kind of modern art that so infuriated Adolf Hitler it was assumed that most of it had been destroyed in his attempt to cleanse German culture in a Munich flat behind rotting food cans will no doubt inspire many more adventurers. With a Picasso,a Matisse and a Dix sharing space with a previously unknown Chagall,the Munich hoard represents an almost unfathomable treasure.
The restitution of Nazi-pilfered art and gold is hotly debated despite international conventions to facilitate the same,partly because of the difficulty of pinpointing ownership,and how cost- and effort-intensive it is to investigate ownership trails. A 2007 study by economist Sidney Zabludoff demonstrated that the vast majority of property stolen from European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II has never been returned. As far as the Munich find is concerned,the hard part of tracing the owners and their descendants to try and restore each piece to its rightful owners has just begun.
