In California, two lawsuits have been filed by Jewish heirs and representatives of Holocaust victims. These legal actions focus on claiming Nazi-looted artworks that remain displayed in notable museums in Los Angeles and Auschwitz.
These lawsuits follow recent legislative changes by California and the U.S. Congress, bolstering claims in the country for art forcibly taken from Jewish families during World War II. The first lawsuit, initiated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and its board chair Daniel Gryczman, targets the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. It seeks the return of ‘Adam and Eve,’ two life-size oil-on-panel paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder from 1530, currently exhibited at the museum.
These masterpieces were originally part of Jacques Goudstikker’s collection, seized by Nazi official Hermann Göring. After changing hands multiple times, the paintings were sold to the Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, now known as the Norton Simon Museum.
The Jewish Federation intends to use the recovered artworks’ net proceeds for aiding approximately 2,500 Holocaust survivors residing in Los Angeles. Rabbi Noah Farkas, the federation’s president and CEO, emphasized their commitment to supporting elderly survivors so they can live their remaining years with dignity.
The second lawsuit, filed with the federal court in L.A., involves daughters of Dinah Gottliebova Babbitt, a Holocaust survivor and animator. They demand the return of watercolors of fellow Auschwitz prisoners, painted under pressure for Nazi physician Josef Mengele. These artworks are crucial evidence documenting Mengele’s horrific experiments.
Auschwitz Memorial spokesman Pawel Sawicki clarified that the artworks, created under duress by Babbitt, are not considered Nazi-looted art. He stressed their significance as historical documents necessary to preserve the memory of Nazi crimes.
This legal struggle reflects the complex nature of recovering Nazi-looted art. Between 1933 and 1945, Nazis orchestrated the largest art theft in world history, seizing over 600,000 artworks from Jewish families and European institutions.
California Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel played a key role in passing Assembly Bill 2867, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. This law enables California residents or their heirs to reclaim art taken during persecution, with the legislation catalyzed by a federal ruling favoring the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum’s retention of a Nazi-looted Camille Pissarro painting.
The Norton Simon Museum issued a statement regarding the Cranach paintings, citing prior federal court decisions affirming their title and the Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene in 2019. While museum representatives acknowledge the artworks’ complex history, they emphasize their commitment to public accessibility.