Restitution Partners identify art wrongly dispossessed by the Nazis, during the colonial era, and other times of persecution and conflict, and facilitate confidential, just and fair solutions.
We offer provenance research, legal solutions and PR support. All in one place.
During the nazi era (1933-1945), hundreds of thousands of artworks were systematically stolen from Jews and other persecuted groups across Europe. This looted art became dispersed around the world, entering public and private collections.
For decades, many victims’ families lacked the resources or documentation to pursue claims. There was little interest in researching the provenance of works acquired in the post-war period. The art market was largely indifferent.
The Washington Conference Principles (1998) marked a turning point: 44 countries agreed on non-binding principles urging proactive provenance research, transparency, and “just and fair solutions”; for Nazi-looted art.
Provenance research, including collaborating with stakeholders to build a comprehensive ownership history; identifying gaps or red flags that suggest a problematic history; provenance risk assessments; supporting clients in making informed decisions about restitution claims.
Clients come to us for:
Planning and managing audits of art collections to identify artworks with red flags in their provenance.
Legal support, including legal risk assessments of potential claims and defences; legally privileged communications and advice; relations with art databases; claim handling; confidential settlements; managing legal complexities such as statutes of limitations, conflict of law, jurisdiction issues, and proof of ownership.
PR management, including managing sensitive announcements about the discovery or restitution of looted art to ensure responsible messaging; coordinating communication with the press; educating the media on the historical and ethical complexities surrounding looted art; mitigating negative publicity.
Our Team
Isabel von Klitzing
Provenance Research & Art Consulting
Lawyer
Pierre Valentin
Art Lawyer
Solicitor
Till Vere-Hodge
Katharina Hüls-Valenti
Provenance Research
Art Lawyer
Solicitor
We treat every matter with the utmost confidentiality.
We deal with both single items and large collections of
cultural objects.
Past Events:
18th November 2025
ADA invited Isabel von Klitzing and Pierre Valentin to speak on how the field of restitution of cultural property is expanding.
Private individuals, communities and nation states are increasingly aggressive in their efforts to recover their heritage. Isabel and Pierre, two experts combining knowledge of provenance and the law, shared their most recent experience through real-life examples of cases involving Nazi-looted art.
Navigating the Restitution Minefield
21st May 2024
This event explored the challenges associated with claims of restitution of cultural heritage. Drawing from claims concerned with Nazi-looted art, the discussion will sought to identify lessons learnt, which may be relevant to the current debate surrounding colonial-looted objects. The panel also addressed the ongoing challenges associated with restitution claims, including provenance research but also the legal barriers faced by some claimants.
From Spoliated Art Restitution to Colonial Loot Repatriation: Lessons Learnt and Ways Forward
Featured in:
Restituzioni: Che Cosa è Bene Sapere
In un momento in cui si moltiplicano le rivendicazioni, i consigli di tre esperti a musei e collezioni pubbliche e private per verificare la provenienza delle opere in loro possesso.
At a time when claims are multiplying, three experts offer advice to museums and public and private collections to verify the provenance of the works in their possession.
Il Giornale dell’Arte
Comparative Art Law - Diritto Comparato dell'Arte
La Restituzione Dei Beni Culturali Nel Mondo Contemporaneo
Isabel von Klitzing and Pierre Valentin contributed a chapter to this new book on the restitution of cultural property.
La restituzione dei beni culturali nel mondo contemporaneo is an interdisciplinary volume that addresses the increasingly central issue of cultural heritage restitution in today’s legal, historical-artistic, and ethical debates. The book examines how cultural property that has been unlawfully taken, stolen, or illicitly exported, exploring both its meaning and the justification for restitution.
Sotheby’s
Red-flag Art and the Fiduciary Community: Managing Risk Associated with Art in Your Care
For centuries, the provenance of art was traditionally recorded only if it added cachet to the art itself. If a painting was once in the collection of a Pope, a King or a famous collector, that was worth recording. Anything else was not. Until the 1990’s, auction and dealers’ sale catalogues rarely included any provenance, unless it was special. In the last 25 years, there has been a radical shift: good provenance has become critical.
