The Last Prisoners of The Holocaust
The magnitude of Nazi looting makes one wonder why more action hasn't been taken before. The multitude of artwork still missing today is incomprehensible. The owners, may whom are victims of the Holocaust, are longing for the return of the thousands upon thousands of missing pieces. Although much of the destruction from the Holocaust can never be repaired, this is something that can be done, and must be done. The looting of Jewish art from museums and homes by the Nazis was the greatest art heist in history, efforts to unchain the last prisoners of The Holocaust must be increased and continued until all art is returned to its rightful owner.
Nazi Plunder
Everything was stolen from the Jewish people during the times of the Holocaust, even their artwork. What sparked this particular theft? As a young man, Adolf Hitler’s dream was to become an artist, unluckily, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna denied his acceptance (Oliphint). Hitler’s love for art lead him to building a collection he hoped to one day display in a museum (Oliphint). To grow that collection into something museum-worthy, the Third Reich confiscated art from all over Europe between 1939 and 1945 (Oliphint). The Third Reich built up a collection of hundreds of thousands of pieces of artwork, worth billions of
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Returning looted art restores ownership and brings emotional closure to the families of Holocaust victims for the suffering they endured (Skinner). For instance, upon attending the rededication ceremony of “Portrait of a Young Man” in Poland, FBI agent, Paul Zukas said, “You could see a piece of the identity of Poland, which that painting represented, return. It was like a lost child coming back. There was an electricity in the room you couldn’t help but feel,” (Oliphint). Having their stolen art returned is beyond important to the