Dutch Vow To Return 17th-Century Artworks Looted by Nazis to Jewish Family
The Dutch state should return three precious paintings to the descendants of Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, a commission on Holocaust-era stolen artworks ruled.
In its findings on the Goudstikker claim, the Advisory Committee on the Assessment of Restitution Applications for Items of Cultural Value and the Second World War said on Tuesday that the Dutch state should return paintings by Philips Wouwerman; Dominicus van Tol and Hendrik Gerritsz – all 17th century painters of the Dutch Golden Age.
Jet Bussemaker, the Netherlands’ minister of education, culture and science, has accepted the committee’s recommendations on the three paintings, according to the Dutch news agency ANP.
The paintings belonged to Goudstikker until 1940, when they left his possession and ended up in the hands of various owners, including Hermann Goring, former commander-in-chief of the German Air Force under Adolf Hitler.
The paintings then moved to the possession of the Bildenden Kunste museum in Leipzig before returning to the Netherlands.
The three paintings were incorporated into the national collection of artworks in 2012, according to an ANP report Wednesday.
In 2006, the Dutch government returned 202 of Goudstikker’s works to his family based on the recommendations of the restitution committee, which the Dutch government established in 1997. Many of the paintings were sold, and fetched approximately $10 million.
Goudstikker died in May 1940 while fleeing the Nazi invasion.
Last month, a separate committee on Holocaust-era stolen art determined that dozens of Dutch museums are in possession of at least 139 items with “problematic origins.”
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
-
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.