New CA law helps families of Holocaust survivors recover art stolen by Nazis

A new California law signed on Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom aims to help the descendants of Holocaust survivors recover art and other property that was stolen from their families by the Nazis.

The law was inspired by a California man who tried but failed, to get his family’s Pissarro painting, which is worth tens of millions of dollars, back from a Spanish museum. His Jewish great-grandmother was forced to trade it to the Nazis for a visa to flee the country.

“It was a life or death situation, and she was lucky that she had this expensive piece of art that the Nazis wanted,” said Beth Kean, CEO of Holocaust Museum L.A.

In January, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the painting was lawfully owned by the Spanish museum. The new law challenges that ruling, mandating that California law, not Spanish law, must apply in situations involving property stolen during the Holocaust.

“Hopefully this bill will send a very strong message to the Spanish government and they'll be on the right side of history and hand over the painting,” Kean said.

The law also applies to descendants of victims of other persecutions, including the Armenian genocide.

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There are an estimated 100,000 pieces of art and other valuables stolen by the Nazis that still haven’t been returned to the descendants of their original owners.

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