Advisory Commission
The “Advisory Commission on the return of cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution, especially Jewish property” was an independent body that handled issued recommendations in disputed cases concerning the return of Nazi-looted property since being established. Established in 2003., it handled approximately 25 cases. Through its 26 recommendations issued in largely – often in complex cases – the Advisory Commission attracted received considerable recognitionattention, meeting with both approval and, at times, criticism. Its recommendations have been discussed in academic literature in Germany and abroad for many years and have played an important role in the decision-making processes of museums and their public entitiessponsorsproviders. By establishing the Advisory Commission on Nazi-Looted Art, the federal government, the Länder and the national associations of local authorities implemented point no. 11 of the Washington Principles, which calls for the establishment of alternative mechanisms for resolving ownership disputes.
It was possible for both victims of Nazi art theft looting and institutions holding cultural property to lodge an appeal withapproach the Advisory Commission. The relatively small number of cases dealt with by the Commission was due primarily to the fact that proceedings could only take place if both parties gave consent. In a large number of cases, however, the institutions did not consent to proceedings.
The Advisory Commission was composed of up to ten independent members – individuals with recognised expertise in legal, ethical, historical or cultural matters. Its members did not hold political office and carried out their duties in an honorary capacity. Appointments were made by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media in agreement with the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder and the national associations of local authorities.
When an appeal was lodged, the Advisory Commission examined the historical and legal circumstances of the loss. Based on the principles set out in the Guidelines for implementing the Statement by the Federal Government, the Länder and the national associations of local authorities on the tracing and return of Nazi-confiscated art, especially Jewish property, of December 1999 (New edition 2019) and on moral or ethical considerations the Advisory Commission issued a recommendation. In around half of the cases, the Commission recommended restitution; in others, it recommended that the cultural property remain with the institution or else proposed partial financial compensation. The recommendations were neither binding nor enforceable, but they were implemented without exception.
In 2023, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, the Advisory Commission published a memorandum in which it called for the adoption of a law on restitution, citing the significance of redressing state injustice.
The Advisory Commission had its own secretariat based in Berlin, which was administratively subordinatereported to the chair of the Commission and provided both administrative and substantive support for the Commission’s work.
The Advisory Commission concluded its work on 30 November 2025.
See below for the recommendations and press releases issued by the Advisory Commission.
Recommendations issued by the Advisory Commission:
18.11.2025 Dr. and Mrs. Max Stern Foundation ./. Landschaftsverband Rheinland und Erben nach Hugo Heinemann ./. Landschaftsverband Rheinland
30.10.2024 Heirs of George Grosz ./. Freie Hansestadt Bremen
29.02.2024 Heirs of Max und Martha Liebermann ./. Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt, Kunstmuseum Moritzburg Halle (Saale)
13.06.2023 Heirs of Hedwig Lewenstein Weyermann und Irma Lewenstein Klein ./. Bayerische Landesbank
22.07.2021 Heirs of Robert Graetz ./. Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin
18.03.2021 Heirs of Kurt und Else Grawi ./. Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf
08.02.2021 Heirs of Heinrich Rieger ./. Stadt Köln
02.02.2021 Heirs of Max Fischer ./. Land Baden-Württemberg
01.07.2020 Heirs of A. B. ./. Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
19.08.2019 Dr. and Mrs. Max Stern Foundation ./. Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
26.03.2019 Heirs of Max J. Emden ./. Bundesrepublik Deutschland
10.01.2017 Heirs of Max und Margarethe Rüdenberg ./. Landeshauptstadt Hannover
07.12.2016 Heirs of Felix Hildesheimer ./. Franz Hofmann und Sophie Hagemann Stiftung
29.04.2016 Heirs of Alfred Salomon ./. Stadt Gelsenkirchen
21.03.2016 Heirs of Alfred Flechtheim ./. Stiftung Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
30.11.2015 Heirs of Ludwig Traube ./. Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf
03.02.2015 Heirs of George E. Behrens ./. Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf
21.08.2014 Heirs of Clara Levy ./. Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
20.03.2014 Heirs of "Welfenschatz"-Konsortiums ./. Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz
09.04.2013 Heirs of Alfred Flechtheim ./. Stadt Köln
28.03.2013 Heirs of Paul Westheim ./. Stadt Neuss
18.11.2011 Heirs of Robert Graetz ./. Land Berlin
27.01.2009 Heirs of Alexander Lewin ./. Bundesrepublik Deutschland
12.06.2008 Heirs of Laura Baumann ./. Land Hessen
25.01.2007 Heirs of Hans Sachs ./. Deutsches Historisches Museum
12.01.2005 Heirs of Julius und Clara Freund ./. Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Press releases by the Advisory Commission:
18.11.2025 Dr. and Mrs. Max Stern Foundation ./. Landschaftsverband Rheinland und Erben nach Hugo Heinemann ./. Landschaftsverband Rheinland
10.10.2025 Heirs of Robert Graetz ./. Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg
05.02.2025 Erwiderung auf die Pressemitteilung der Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz zum Welfenschatz
30.10.2024 Heirs of George Grosz ./. Freie Hansestadt Bremen
29.02.2024 Heirs of Max und Martha Liebermann ./. Kulturstiftung Sachen Anhalt, Kunstmuseum Moritzburg Halle (Saale)
14.09.2023 Festakt zum 20-jährigen Bestehen im Jüdischen Museum Berlin
04.09.2023 Memorandum
13.06.2023 Heirs of Hedwig Lewenstein Weyermann und Irma Lewenstein Klein ./. Bayerische Landesbank
03.12.2021 Supplementary Decision in the case of the heirs of Felix Hildesheimer v. Hagemann Stiftung
22.07.2021 Heirs of Robert Graetz ./. Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin
30.04.2021 Beschluss des Stadtrats der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf zu Franz Marcs "Füchse"
26.03.2021 Heirs of Kurt und Else Grawi ./. Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf
08.02.2021 Heirs of Heinrich Rieger ./. Stadt Köln
02.02.2021 Heirs of Max Fischer ./. Land Baden-Württemberg
18.01.2021 Heirs of Felix Hildesheimer ./. Hagemann Stiftung
01.08.2018 Neuberufung dreier Mitglieder in die Beratende Kommission NS-Raubgut
20.11.2017 New chair of the Advisory Commission
10.11.2016 Further development of the Advisory Commission
25.02.2016 Heirs of Alfred Flechtheim ./. Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen