Role of the Courts in Restoring Cultural Objects to Their Owners

The Document Based Question/essay prompt Stolen Art: From the Holocaust to the Present was prepared in 2018 and the resources have not been updated since that time. For more information about recent legal developments, consult national and state newspapers, legal databases, and your librarian.

Throughout history, and particularly during World War II, cultural objects have been looted from museums and private families. In the name of justice, a global effort is underway to restore art objects to their rightful owners. We ask you to explore the role of the courts, and especially the role our NYS courts play, in reuniting families and institutions with possessions wrongly taken from them.

This activity meets the following guidelines of New York State’s Common Core Social Studies Framework (2017):

• Foundations of American Democracy: 12.G1d
• Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: 12.G2a, 12.G2c

Image Citation: National Archives, provided by the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, Dallas.

Below is a list of the 2018 resources in a searchable table. Search by type of resource: general resources, videos, court cases, and articles.