The conference will address issues related to the implementation of the provisions of the Washington

Today, a conference in Prague, which will consider issues related to the implementation of the Washington of the Nazis confiscated works of art. The conference will bring together representatives from about fifty countries. Delegates plan to agree on a new declaration of stolen art.

Washington provisions, signed by representatives of 44 States, were developed in 1998. They have no legal effect. Under these provisions, the authorities undertake a detailed review of provenansy in public meetings «controversial» works, to publish information about them and to encourage the legitimate owners to apply for them.

It should be noted that many of the organizations representing the interests of Holocaust victims and their heirs, claimed that the state is not very well perform these duties. Museums are still thousands of items stolen Nazis. «There are very few, - said George Hoyberger (Georg Heuberger), the representative of the Conference of the material claims of Jews to Germany. - All come in their own way, and only a third of them have to do something (for the return of stolen works. - Ed. ). We are not satisfied ».

According to the Conference for twelve years of Hitler's Nazis stole about six hundred fifty thousand pieces of art. Database of the missing works of The Art Loss Register are among seventy thousand confiscated works, which are still looking for the owners and their descendants.

According to Anne Webber (Anne Webber), co-chair of the stolen art in Europe, most countries do not comply with the requirements of the Washington regulations. She said that the victims of the Holocaust and their heirs have to rely on the goodwill of individual museums or the authorities of the countries. There is no guarantee that their claims to treat with due care.

George Hoyberger said that the Conference produced a top, where the country is estimated on the basis of their activity in implementing the provisions of Washington. The list will be announced in Prague. Russia, Hungary, France, Italy, Spain and some Scandinavian countries have taken in the low-ranking positions.

Family Herzog (Herzog) in 1989, trying to win back the stolen work in Hungary, El Greco (El Greco), Lucas Cranach, a senior (Lucas Cranach the Elder), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Pierre-Auguste Renoir) , Édouard Manet (Edouard Manet) and the other artists. According to the lawyer Perestegi Agnes (Agnes Peresztegi), many works from their collections now adorn the walls and the Hungarian National Gallery Budapest Art Museum. Perhaps, the family turns into an American court.

«Washington provision was not enforced in Hungary - says Perestegi. - In Prague will be a declaration confirming this situation and affirming some more, and we hope that the Hungarian Government to give serious consideration to them».

Sweden heirs of a Jewish businessman Otto Nathan äÏÊÞÁ (Otto Nathan Deutsch) has failed to make restitution of the painting by Emil Nolde (Emil Nolde) «Blooming garden Utenvarfe», located in the collections of the Stockholm Moderna Museet . According to them, the Swedish Government and the Museum of pull with the decision. Their lawyer, David Roulend (David Rowland), involved in many such disputes, described the current situation «restorative roulette».

Other clients Roulenda - heirs of the German art historian Kurt Glaser (Curt Glaser), whose collection was also stolen during the years of Nazism. Last year, the Swiss city of Basel had refused to return to descendants more than a hundred works, including works of Edvard Munch (Edvard Munch), Chagall (Marc Chagall ) and Henri Matisse (Henri Matisse).

Glaser sold most of its treasures in 1933: he needed money to escape from Germany. The heirs claim that he had no choice: the Nazis seized from his apartment and forced to quit work. But the Basel authorities say that the Art Museum, which includes many paintings from his collection, can not satisfy their demands, because the work was purchased at market value. Most recently, the British Commission for confiscated works of art in London recommended that the Fund Curto Samuel (Samuel Courtauld Trust) does not return the descendants Glaser eight figures, also once part of his collection. However, in Germany, the heirs were lucky: in September 2007 on the city of Hanover had given him a picture of Corinto Lovis (Lovis Corinth).

«We have come across cases where people are demanding the return of several paintings seized at the same time and in the same place," - says Anne Webber. - A museum agrees to give a picture, and the other will not ... »

George Hoyberger spoke of the desire to create an international institution - a commission, or institution, which will examine all restitution disputes. Then these cases, as with the heirs Glaser, would be lower.

Which countries better cope with all the requirements of the Washington regulations? According to the alleged owners of the works and their representatives, «Gold Medal» should get Austria and the Netherlands. Both countries have established a commission to resolve disputes restorative. These commissions operate under clear rules, and publish their solutions.

Today, the British House of Commons will consider the third reading a bill on the restitution of art looted during the Holocaust. If the law is adopted, then given to the restitution will be able to work and the national museums (previously they could not do).

The German authorities in 2008 founded the government agency, which has been studying provenansa works held in public collections . Since 1998, the German museum returned to prewar owners of more than a thousand objects. Restorative dispute was over sixty.

«What is really needed is a study provenansov - says Berlin lawyer Shnabel Gunnar (Gunnar Schnabel). - It is most important. It would be nice if it created a world that is available for all database, which contributed to the museums of the work with questionable provenansom. Then all the victims would conduct its own investigation and would have saved a lot of money on lawyers ».

David Roulend spoke on the need for a restorative commission in the United States. Most American museums are private, and their owners do not feel bound by the provisions of Washington. Victims of the Holocaust and their heirs have to go to court, where they are often denied restitution, arguing that such causes, such as the expiration of the period. Government agencies have almost no help to pre-war owners, they still rely on the lawyers.

As said Anne Webber, the conference in Prague provides an opportunity to draw attention to the need to solve the problem as soon as possible. «We have moved slightly in the last decade, but this is not enough, you can not expect that families would wait another ten years - she declares. - The restitution of works of art - this is a very difficult task. Some (pre-war owners. - Ed .) Still alive and want in their life has something meaningful. Now the situation is critical, than ten years ago ».

Currently, it sounds increasingly view that restitution is time to stop. Proponents of this point of view, particularly British curator Sir Norman Rosenthal (Norman Rosenthal) , pay attention to the fact that the restitution is mainly enriched by those who are the victims of the Holocaust is very indirect relevance - relatives - «seventh water to fool», and of course, lawyers. Sometimes to achieve a museum paintings bring millions of dollars at auction, which, according to Rosenthal, «breeds greed». The works of museum-class, which should be the heritage of the world, forever disappear into the vaults billionaires.

However, millions of sales - units, and most returned to the restitution of all, have a family, rather than financial value. This is reflected in the historian Tattskov Monica (Monika Tatzkow). Sometimes the picture - the only thing left from the Nazis killed their parents.

In short, each case - is unique and one of the objectives of the Prague conference - to create conditions to ensure that no claim of alleged owners of confiscated works of art are not left unattended. The Conference will last until 30 June.

Material prepared Yulia Maksimova, AI

Sources: bloomberg.com , reuters.com , artinvestment.ru