Programme to accelerate WWII restitution policy
Acting on behalf of the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) has administered the programme aimed at stepping up Second World War restitution policy since 1 January 2022.
This acceleration process consists of carrying out provenance and rights-holder research on the Netherlands Art Property (NK) Collection and being able to provide information on WWII cultural objects as required. The aim is to confirm information on the provenance and ownership status of objects and seek potential rights-holders, where possible.
Investigation of NK Collection
Researchers are checking whether there are any gaps in the provenance of all the objects in the NK Collection. Recent studies, the growing digitalisation of archives and previously unknown or inaccessible sources are expected to offer new leads. Part of this provenance research also includes taking new photographs of all the objects, including any clues found on them. There may be identification marks on art works that tell us more about the origins of an object.
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In order to facilitate this intensification of the provenance research, the Agency has expanded the team with six additional researchers. There is an independent committee which oversees the project. This committee monitors the quality of research and assesses whether it meets the standard required to determine the provenance of objects from the NK Collection as accurately as possible.
Programme progress
The results of the study will be published on the wo2.collectienederland.nl website, shared in knowledge and network meetings, reported in news items, and included in regular columns on provenance research and various publications. During the course of the programme the Cultural Heritage Agency will work closely with the heritage partners concerned.